Fated Pasts, Chaotic Future
by Konsaki
Summary: It's taken two years but Ranma and Akane have finally tied the knot and are moving on with thier lives. Destiny finds another path for them as the Sailor Senshi, and trouble, find them in Juuban. Going to Mizuharo University was supposed to be easy...
1. Chapter 1

**Fated Pasts, Chaotic Future**

A Ranma ½ and Sailor Senshi crossover Fanfic

Written by: Konsaki  
(Aka – Matt Nethken)

This Fanfic was inspired by and uses source material from 'Lines of Destiny', a dead Fanfic created by Louis-Philippe Giroux.

Mr Giroux has approved of my adopting his story but asked that I not use his original work's name. As per his request, I have changed the name to 'Fated Past, Chaotic Future'. I doubt I can ever hope to obtain the great quality of his work, but Ihope I can honor it through my own beginning chapters will use Mr. Giroux's work as a guide, but as I write, I will be adapting his story to my own style.

- Konsaki

oOo

Here are the following ages of the cast:

Hotaru (Sailor Saturn) – 13 years old  
Inner Senshi – 16 years old  
Outer Senshi – 17 years old  
Ranma/Akane – 18 years old  
Mamoru – 19 years old  
Setsuna (Sailor Pluto) – …who knows, but she looks 25-27ish

In this storyline, Ranma and Akane are ready to attend university as 1st years while the Inner Senshi are in their 2nd year of high school. The Outer Senshi are between Ranma/Akane and the Inner Senshi, working on their last year of high school.

For the Sailor Senshi part of it, it's after the Pharaoh 90 storyline and the Kaguya Snow Queen incident, but there are a few mods: everyone in the Inner Senshi goes to Juuban High, sans Rei. Usagi can turn into Super Sailor Moon, but none of the other Senshi can go 'Super'.

Sorry if this throws a monkey wrench into how you think of the Sailor Senshi, but it works for me…

oOo

_"When the Kin of Silence and the Daughter of Earth join, the Circle of Planets shall be complete once again."__  
_- Last prophecy of the Terran Royal Seer, End of the Silver Millennium

A slight breeze blew across the open grasslands, mixing with the soft sounds of the small brook that ran into a lake. The sun shown from the horizon as lazy clouds floated past the pristine scene set before. One would be able to spend hours, if not an entire day, soaking up the ambiance radiating from this tranquil place.

Chiba Mamoru stood in the center of this endless prairie, looking around at the view quickly finding himself facing the scene of a girl walking through the field. It's her again he thought to himself as he unconsciously reached out towards her.

The girl continued her stroll through the tall blades of grass and flowers, completely at ease, the sun shining behind her. She wore a sailor fuku, but he couldn't recognize anything else about it or her. The sun blocking any image more than a silhouette, but then, she turned towards him and started to run towards him...

Mamoru woke from the dream, always at the same moment... just before he could see her face. Putting a hand to his face, he let out a groan. _'Who is that girl?'_ he asked as he made his way to the window. '_Her silhouette doesn't look anything like the Inner or Outer Senshi... Why is she wearing a Senshi fuku... I thought we found them all...'_

Opening the window up, he felt the cool air rush over him, refreshing after waking up from that dream. It wasn't unusual for him to have dreams of his past life, living as Prince Endymion. But since he left Juban on his two week special assignment for college it started happening more often and then she started showing up in his dreams.

Taking a deep breath, Mamoru thought about three days from now, when he would finally see his Usako again. Just the thought of the way she acted when he told her that he was going away for just fourteen days brought a grin to his face. It had taken Minako and Makoto working together, along with Rei verbally chastising her, to make Usagi unlatch from Mamoru's arm so he could board the train. He promised his blond girlfriend that he would think of her everyday...

His face changed to a frown though as he thought about how she would react if she learned that he had been having dreams about a girl that he couldn't place. She was important though, that much he knew. How was a question he couldn't answer, but another question that burned at his mind was if she was another Senshi.

With a heavy sigh, he closed the window and lay back down on the bed. He'd just have to ask Luna or Rei once he got back. It was only three days away...

With that, he faded back to sleep. If the dream did mean something, he would find out eventually... That he was sure of.

oOo

The evening sun felt nice as it shone on Ranma, who lay atop the Tendo's dojo roof. It was up here that the martial artist could usually find a place of relaxation and tranquility, a place to himself. On that roof, he had spent many an hour, thinking about things and wondering what effect his plans for the future would have.

There were many moments of regret over past events up there as well, as his thoughts inevitably ran across the major turning points in the past year since the crazy circus that should have been his happy wedding to Akane. With his thoughts currently about the wedding, his mind floated to what happened just after through the following months… his and Akane's interactions with Ukyo after the incident.

The okonomiyaki shop owner had repeatedly returned after her attack, but each time she came to see Ranma to either talk to or woo him, Ukyo found herself on the wrong end of an ever increasingly cold shoulder. After one severely cold reception from her once friend and fiancée, she decided to observe him for a while before trying to talk to him again. What Ukyo saw broke her heart and tore at her mind more than anything she had heard him say to her.

Through the hours that passed, she finally saw what she had been blind to for the past month, Ranma and Akane had already chosen one another. The chef's mind thought about everything she had done to split the pair and the responses she had received… Then, she made a decision and swore to follow through with it.

The next day, Akane and Ranma were standing in 'Uchhan's', both on edge looking out for anything that might happen. What did happen surprised both, as Ukyo made her way down the stairs from her apartment above the shop, garbed in a simple white kimono. Though the pair couldn't see her face, the state of disrepair of her hair and clothing only hinted at what the girl had gone through the night before.

With her long brown bangs still occluding her face, Ukyo stopped before the couple, silent for a moment before speaking in a low almost whispered voice. "T-thank you both f-for coming…", Ranma heard the girl say, noting the unusual tone in the chef's voice. Before either he or Akane could respond though, the girl in white before them fell to the floor with each of the pair jerking to catch her but stopping as they noticed the position Ukyo had taken.

On hands and knees, with her head drooped, she called out in a pained voice, "P-please! Please forgive me!", she cried out.

This left the standing pair in a state of stunned shock, in which they glanced at each other in concern before Ranma looked back down at the kneeling figure. "Ukyo…" was all that escaped Ranma's mouth before he was interrupted by both the feeling of Akane's hand on his arm and Ukyo's voice in the air once more.

"P-please… forgive me… both of you.", she repeated in a softer voice. "I don't want to lose you, Ranma!"

Hearing that, Akane tightened her grip on Ranma's arm slightly, about to say a scathing response but stopped short once she heard what Ukyo was still saying, "I-I'm sorry for what I've done…"

It was then the girl looked up at the man that had held her heart for so long and him noticing the tears flowing down her face. "I-I know she has your heart… I see it now… I'll never have it; I just don't want to lose you as a friend… Please, please forgive me!", Ukyo cried out to the pigtailed martial artist before dropping her head once more causing some wet spots to appear on the wood floor as she weakly whispered out one more time, "Please…"

Ranma was visibly shaken by the emotions shown by his onetime fiancée and friend. Finally registering the fact that he had gripped Akane's hand sometime during the last few moments, he looked over at her. She could see the questions in his face and eyes, he never had to say a word for her to understand what he wanted to ask because she, herself, felt just as confused and shocked.

Sparing a quick glance at the crying girl at her feet, Akane looked into Ranma's eyes for a moment before giving a slow nod. At seeing that, Ranma gave a weak smile as they both turned their eyes down towards Ukyo. Akane felt a slight squeeze of her hand before it was released, as Ranma knelt down in front of the white garbed figure.

Ukyo didn't even register the moment, but stiffened in reflex as Ranma embraced her in a hug, saying "Ucchan… I… We forgive you..."

After a moment, in which Ukyo looked up at Ranma's face, she put her arms around him crying even harder into his chest while letting out whispered 'Thank you' over and over. They stayed like that for a long while, with Akane joining in hugging the distressed girl after a few moments.

After that, the relationships between the three got better, since Ukyo fully renounced her betrothal to Ranma. They became good friends once again, though it was slow at the start. As Ranma thought about it, he figured it was good for all three of them that. He was happy that he and Ukyo were friends at least.

Before he could think about it anymore though, a call broke through the evening air, "Ranma! Ranma, where are you!?"

Standing up, Ranma made his way to the edge of the roof and looked down at the girl calling for him down below. "I'm up here, Akane." he responded.

With a swish of her yellow dress, she turned and looked up with her hands on her hips. With a slight frown Akane called up, "Well, come down from there! Dinner's ready and I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Ok, ok… I'm on my way…" he replied, with a grin at a thought his past reminiscing brought up. With a quick drop, he was standing beside his fiancée, still grinning as they both walked into the main household.

After quickly washing up, Ranma sat down at the long table the Saotome's and the Tendo's used for most of their meals. With a quick, 'Itadakimasu' he started eating with the rest, his father to his left next the head of the table, where Soun sit, and his mother to the right of him.

The usual banter went back and forth between Soun and Genma, along with complaints from Ranma as his father tried to pick things off Ranma's plate, though glances from Nodoka usually stopped that event from escalating.

Ranma happily ate the meal, only stopping once he tasted something odd about one part of it. Swallowing, he spoke up, "Hey, who made the Teriyaki?"

Kasumi, across the table, put down her chopsticks. "Akane helped me by cooking it.", she said with her usual smile. Next to her, Akane looked directly at Ranma, who noticed immediately.

"Really?" he replied. "It tastes great! Almost as good as yours, Kasumi.", Ranma exclaimed, though it wasn't true due to it being particularly bland. Even so, the more important fact was the food was still edible. Plus, the look of Akane smiling made her look cute.

As Ranma dug back into the meal in front of him, he said a silent word of thanks to Ukyo for finally being able to teach Akane how to pay attention when she cooked. Akane still couldn't cook well but at least the food she did produce wouldn't try and kill you or crawl off the plate…

oOo

"Usagi … It's only two days…" Chiba Mamoru said exasperatedly into the telephone of his hotel room. He had said the same thing each day, just changing the number of days left each time. He loved hearing her voice, but he could hear what she was going to say even before she said it.

"I know, Mamo-chan, but I miss you!" Usagi half whined from the other end of the call.

Putting a hand to his temple, Mamoru let out a sigh. "I miss you too, Usako… I'll see you two days from now at the train station. Just wait for me there."

"Alright … I love you, Mamo-chan.", she replied in a slightly hurt voice.

"I love you, too. I'll see you when I'm done here, Usagi." he finished and then hung up the phone. Letting out another sigh, he rubbed his forehead. _'Two days…'_, he thought as he got up from the small bed in his hotel room and moved to the bathroom to clean up for the night.

oOo

Ranma let out a slight squeal as she rinsed herself off, feeling the effect of the cold water on her body. It was much less the change, and more the fact that the water was cold nowadays. Shaking her head to get the water out of her eyes, she set the wash bucket back on the floor. As she opened them, Ranma noticed that she had unconsciously put her other hand on her side, where the Amazon had done the most damage to her. Looking down at it, she sighed as she rose from the stool she was sitting on.

It was worth it… she reminded herself as she made her way towards the furo, loose red hair swinging behind her. She could remember it like it was yesterday… She doubted she'd ever forget the fight till the day she died.

Immersing herself into the tub's hot water, Ranma felt the change go over him like normal and barely registered it. He was too engrossed in replaying the fight between himself and Cologne…

He had spent weeks preparing for it after he finally decided on this specific course of action. Training like there was no tomorrow in the mountains all by himself had made himself faster and stronger than before, but even then he didn't know if he was ready to fight the old ghoul. Still, Ranma could only take so much time before Shampoo tried her next scheme to get him to marry her.

It all happened one day that he walked into the Cat Café, him finding Shampoo, Mousse and Cologne serving their customers like normal. Without a word to the younger two chinese, he went straight to Cologne, who was cooking the orders up as fast as they came. She had seen him enter though and all cooking had stopped just as fast once he stepped up to her.

"I need to talk to you… alone" was all Ranma said to the old chinese matriarch and that was all she needed to know something big was going to happen.

"Follow me, future son-in-law" was her even reply as she hopped around the counter and towards the back rooms of the café. Wordlessly, the pigged tailed young man followed her into a room, where he closed the door and stood against it.

There in that room, they talked for what seemed forever to Shampoo but was only a quick five minutes or so. Then, as quick as they came in, they came out to the main dining area, with Ranma walking past Shampoo and out the door, not responding to her questioning look.

"Great-grandmother, what is going on?!" she asked as soon as the main door closed. The blood from her face drained almost instantly once she heard the matriarch's reply.

"Ranma challenged me…"

The fight that took place an hour later was filled with furious punches and kicks. Ki blasts flew like they were fireworks going off for a festival. The very buildings around the abandoned lot the two had chose for their battleground shook and cracked from the strain of the battle aura's the two were giving off.

The weeks of training that Ranma had subjected himself to, seemed to give him an edge in the fight as both warriors traded blows with one another. He had just enough speed to dodge just enough of the special hidden attacks the ancient chinese Amazon was pulling out of nowhere. Just enough wasn't good though, as the ones that did hit did a lot of damage or distracted him just enough for Cologne to get a few good hits in.

Cologne was taking a beating from Ranma in turn though, and was struggling to keep the fight even with the younger faster Saotome. After a bit, she decided to use a specific forbidden technique on Ranma, though she felt ashamed that she had to. It's either use this or lose all together!, she psyched herself up as she switched to offense and broke his guard. Within that split fraction of a second, the old fighter reached in and poked a specific spot on Ranma's side.

That instant, Ranma knew something was terribly wrong as the world slowed down and he felt weaker overall. Knowing it had to be something to do with Cologne's last attack, he growled and went on the offensive again, yelling, "I'll still win, old ghoul!"

Cologne had expected Ranma's speed and power to drop, but it wasn't as much as she expected. The ensuing barrage of punches and kicks were still incredibly fast, but at least it was more manageable for the worn down matriarch to handle. She took a few glancing blows but was able to block most of them.

The rest of the fight was an almost even match, with Ranma and Cologne trading damage at an almost equal rate… almost. Cologne was still pulling new hidden techniques out that Ranma could have only dreamed of, but now he didn't have the speed required to dodge most of them. It was like this way, all the way until both fighters were staring each other down, blood dripping from both and breaths raging like there wasn't enough air for the two of them.

The two stared at each other in a final showdown that seemed like hours for the pair, but was broken in a sheer instant that made everyone's eyes shoot wide save for one. "You win…"

Ranma could barely believe his ears, as he blinked and looked at the old ghoul who had hung her head, eyes closed. "Wait… WHAT?" he yelled over to the chinese woman.

"I will honor my promise, Ranma. Shampoo, Mousse and I will leave and never bother you again" the heavy voice of Cologne replied. Ranma couldn't comprehend why the old ghoul was saying this and responded with a low, "What? We aint done…"

He stopped once the woman raised an old weathered hand, raising her saddened gaze to him. "Ranma, you have fought harder than I've ever seen, just to keep from losing. Even if I won, I doubt you would ever fully follow our ways of marriage. This I know due to your fighting spirit... even after I used the forbidden technique on you, you fought on with a will I've rarely seen. I only wish I could remove that effect but I am unable…"

"So this is it?" Ranma finally said after a moment. Cologne replied after a long sigh, "Yes, this is farewell, Saotome Ranma. Shampoo, Mousse… come."

With that, Ranma looked over to Shampoo to see a face of falling tears. Without a word, he turned and walked over to Akane, who had been watching the entire duel in rapture. Once she noticed Ranma standing in front of her, she looked up into his face, eyes still wide.

Seeing her reaction, Ranma put a hand on her forehead and smiled, while saying "Let's go home, Akane..." He then promptly fell forward, Akane snapping out of her daze just in time to catch him.

It took Ranma a week to fully heal from that fight.

During that time, Cologne kept her word and closed down the Cat Café... Ranma never heard from the three ever again.

Stepping out of the furo, Ranma felt a pang of guilt from the way Shampoo looked at him, but he just shook it off. _'She's__better off not striving over something she'll never have...'_ he told himself as he dried off and dressed for bed.

oOo

The next morning, as the sun shown down on Nerima, the atmosphere inside the Tendo household was unusually solemn and quiet. This meant there were no super powered martial artists seeking neither the death of Saotome Ranma nor the hand in marriage of Tendo Akane, sometimes the other way around depending on the day. With any luck, everything would be quiet from now on, to the great relief of the local insurance companies.

This is because today, Saotome Ranma and Tendo Akane were finally getting married; thus putting a stop, once and for all, to the madness which plagued Nerima... or so they hoped.

The morning passed like a blur for everyone in the Tendo household, every person doing something to help complete the planned event without hitch. Ever since the last attempt at a wedding bombed, literally, Genma and Soun had been almost chewing their nails off waiting for their next chance to wed their children together. Had it not been for Nodoka, they would have tried sooner, but she wanted them to wait until Akane and Ranma came forward to them.

After the two set a date, the clock started ticking down. Now it seemed like time was passing like water falls from the sky when it rains. And then... the rain stops.

"By the powers vested in me..." the priest intoned with a grand smile on his face pausing as Ranma and Akane looked at each other in love. Ranma, clad in a white tuxedo and Akane dressed in a western wedding gown. Both stood before the priest holding the short western wedding, while everyone waiting for the last words to finalize the event.

"I now pronounce you man and wife!" he finished. To Ranma's surprise, it was at that moment that Akane pulled him in to a tight embrace and a deep kiss to cement the marriage. After a moment, he was kissing her back, his arms wrapped just as tight around his new wife. All around them, their family cheered and whistled in celebration.

"Way to go Akane!" Nabiki shouted at her sister with a laugh.

Soun and Genma were practically dancing together. "At last, Saotome! Finally, our families are joined... Our schools are united!" Soun yelled at his friend, bursting into tears which threatened to flood the dojo. Quickly, Genma excused himself and pushed Soun outside for the safety of everyone. Nodoka and Katsumi just shared smiles as they watched the men go outside.

After what seemed like eternity, the newlyweds broke their embrace and stood their smiling at each other each holding the other's hands. If asked, they would have sworn that they could see perfect reflections of themselves in the other's eyes, they were looking so deep into them.

Their moment was broken as Nodoka walked over, smile across her face, to ask, "What do you both plan to do now?"

Ranma looked at Akane with a grin and she blushed a bit. "Akane and I decided to go to a university together. We've already chose Mizuharo University over in Juuban. It'll be perfect for us."

By that time, Genma had come back in from pushing Soun outside. With a lecherous grin on his face, he added, "And you'll have some time alone to your new wife too, eh boy?"

With both Ranma and Akane blushing bright red, Akane replied trying to sound scandalized but only succeeding partially, "Uncle Saotome! Please!"

"Genma... don't embarrass them like that." Nodoka chided her husband. "Besides, I'm sure Ranma is more than manly enough to satisfy Akane."

Hearing this, Ranma wondered if his head was going to explode with all the blood from his body rushing to his face. He decided to act quickly to try and prevent his mother from embarrassing him further, either by accident or on purpose. Letting out a cough, Ranma spoke up, "Our only problem right now is that, even though we've chosen to attend Mizuharo U, we don't have a place to stay while we apply. There's also no guarantee we will find an apartment between now and when classes start either."

Seeing the look on her son's face, she put a finger to her chin and asked, "I know you were young at the time, but don't you remember your Grandfather Hino or Cousin Rei?"

"Maybe... I think me and Pop saw them shortly after starting on that training trip. I would have only been six at the time... I think Rei was even younger than me, but why do you bring them up?" Ranma replied in confusion.

"Well, my father, your Grandfather Hino, owns a shrine in Juuban. I think Rei is there training as a Shinto Priestess. From what I can remember, it's not far from the university. You could always ask them for a room to stay in until you find a place of your own."

With a slight frown of thought, Ranma mulled over the idea for a second. "I don't know, mom. I mean, they probably don't even remember me. I'd feel like I'm imposing on them if I just show up out of nowhere after ten years asking for a place to stay."

"Nonsense, Ranma. I'll go give them a call. I'm sure there will be no problems with you staying for a short while." With that, Nodoka turned and headed back into the house where the phone was.

Seeing Ranma look back to her, Akane shrugged a bit and smiled weakly, "It would be nice to have a place to stay when we got there..."

She didn't get much farther before the pair turned towards another figure who had stepped up. Genma looked solemn as he nodded to Akane and then turned towards Ranma. "Boy," he started, "it's time you took more responsibilities as heir to the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu."

Raising an eyebrow, Ranma looked at his father. "What kind of responsibilities, Pop?"

In answer, Genma produced two thick scrolls from behind his back and handed them to Ranma. With a puzzled look on his face, the pigged tailed son opened the scrolls and almost had his eyes pop out of his head. "Pops... these are the Saotome Forbidden Techniques!" he exclaimed, his eyes trying to soak the writings in all at once. Then, he stopped looking the scrolls over and trained his eyes at his father, "I thought they were destroyed..."

With a laugh, Genma's glasses flashed. "They were, boy. These are copies, the only ones in existence, mind you. So I expect you to treat them with respect and make me proud!" A second later, his visage became hardened once more, "I know you'll use them more wisely than I ever did... Consider them a wedding gift as well as your first real responsibility towards the Art."

"I don't know what to say... Thanks, Oyaji!" Ranma replied as he rolled up the scrolls and smiled at his father.

Genma just smiled back at his son. "You've made me proud, boy... Son..." he said, before turning around and headed out to see if Soun had stopped crying... and maybe to cry some himself.

Ranma watched him go but quickly turned his attention back to the scrolls. He had been trying for a long while to duplicate the Yama-sen-ken techniques used by Ryu Kumon, which had originally been invented by Genma. Knowing that his father would likely disapprove of such dangerous moves being used when they were supposed to be sealed away, Ranma had only practiced them when training by himself in the mountains.

He had started to think he would never get them quite right, which rankled him, even though he was not planning on using the Yama-sen-ken on a regular basis anyway - it was far too dangerous against regular opponents. Now, those same techniques had just been given to him. He felt like pounding his father for not telling him he had duplicates, but realized it was also his fault, since he had never actually asked Genma if he had made copies.

Looking up from the scrolls, he looked to where Akane was standing to find her missing. Looking around, he saw her on the side of the room, talking with her sisters and Ukyo. With a slight pang of sadness, Ranma wished Ryoga could have been here for this, but that quickly passed as he looked down at the scrolls once more. Since I have the time, it wouldn't hurt to look at these for a while... Ranma thought to himself.

oOo

At the same moment, over at the Hikawa Shrine, Ami and Makoto were stopping by for a visit. Makoto was just getting started on how her latest boyfriend had left her when Rei breathed a sigh of relief and excused herself to answer the phone which was ringing. A few minutes later, both Ami and Makoto saw Rei come back in looking flustered.

"What's wrong, Rei?" Ami asked her friend as she sat back down.

"I don't know... my aunt calls for the first time in over ten years and by the end of the conversation has me agreeing to have my cousin stay here at the shrine..." she replied with a frown. Shaking her head she muttered, "I don't know how she did it, but she managed to have her way in less than five minutes..."

Makoto and Ami looked at each other in confusion. Then Makoto turned back, ponytail waving, and asked, "Why would he need to stay at the shrine?"

"It seems he is starting up at Mizuharo University and don't have an apartment yet. He's going to look for one when he gets here, even though classes only start in a few days." Rei replied, shaking her head at the situation.

"So..." Makoto started up with a familiar look in her eyes, "What's your cousin like, Rei?"

Hearing and seeing this, Ami giggled a bit while Rei let out a slight groan, "Don't even think about it, Makoto. He's bringing his wife here with him."

"Reh?!" the brown haired Senshi exclaimed in response. "A wife?" she echoed as her shoulders slumped.

Ami had a finger up to her mouth in thought, "When's the last time you've seen your cousin, Rei?"

The fiery female waved a hand in front of her quickly, "It's been over ten years. I was only four at the time. I think he and his father were headed out on a training expedition at the time. They weren't here long."

Ami and Makoto looked at each other once again. "A training expedition..." Ami echoed. "What kind of training?"

"I think it was for martial arts..." Rei said with a thoughtful look on her face.

Makoto looked at Rei with a saddened face, "He's a martial artist too!?" With that, she pouted and let out a slightly whiny, "Why are all the good one's taken?" A moment passed before her pout faded to be replaced by confusion once more. "Wait a minute... You said his father was taking him training at six?"

Rei nodded at her friend, "Yeah... though I think his training started well before that. He had already been traveling on the training trip before he showed up here."

Ami looked rather doubtful, "Isn't that a little... well, obsessive of his father?"

Holding her hands up defensively, Rei replied, "It's not like I could do anything... I was only four at the time! Besides, I'm lucky I can remember this from over ten years ago!"

"Sorry, Rei" Ami apologized to her friend. "Um... when is he supposed to arrive?"

"Well, he should be here tomorrow afternoon from what my aunt said..."

The girls looked from one another for a moment before Makoto spoke up again with a raised eyebrow, "Will this interfere with our... other activities?"

Rei thought about it for a second, but waved it off with her hand, "I don't think so. He's only going to be here long enough for him and his wife to find a place nearby. We'll just have to find somewhere else to meet up while he's here and be quiet about around him."

With a nod, Ami asked another question, "Rei, where's your cousin from anyways?"

When Ami heard, "Nerima", she let out a slight frown. The Nerima Ward had a history of weird occurrences and strangeness that rivaled Juuban's. Shaking her head, she gave a mental shrug. Just cause he's from there doesn't mean he is weird as well. she thought as she started reading the book in her lap again.

oOo

By the time Nodoka had come back to the dojo, Ranma and Akane were sitting together holding each other's hands again. They looked up at the Saotome matriarch as she approached them, standing in respect. His mother smiled one again, looking over her son and his new wife.

"I have good news for you both. I spoke with your cousin Rei and she agreed to let you both stay in a spare room at the shrine." Nodoka said with a smile.

"I just hope you don't start attracting girls once we get there." Akane said to her husband with a slight edge that showed her old temper hadn't died.

"Come on, Akane! You know you're the only one for me! We just got married for Kami's sake." Ranma said to his new wife with a hint of exasperation in his voice.

He was thrown off guard a second later when his wife's face switch from annoyance to full on happiness as she planted a kiss on his lips. Drawing back from him, she giggled and replied, "I know. I just wanted to make sure you knew, too."

A few moments passed as Ranma blushed at his bride and smiled dreamily at her. _'I could get used to this...'_ he thought to himself.

Nodoka only smiled at the interactions her child and new daughter were displaying. With a cough though, she had their attentions back just enough for her to say, "You both better start getting ready. I told your cousin to expect you tomorrow afternoon."

Both teenagers smiled at her and let out a happy, "Hai!"

oOo

Elsewhere in Tokyo, a dark-green haired woman took a sip of the tea she was holding and looked out at the sky. A smile toyed at the edge of her lips as she mused over the plans in her head. It's almost time I paid a visit to a certain pair of Moon cats... and one other..., she thought as she nursed the warm cup in her hand.

Soon the Senshi will know more of their past... There's much work for me to do. With that, she stood up from the café she was sitting at and moved out into the crowds that moved up and down the streets of Tokyo.

The final awakening is beginning... hopefully the circle will finally be complete.

End of Chapter 1

oOo

A/N – The following notes were taken from Mr Giroux's "Lines of Destiny" word for word.

- The Saotome Forbidden Techniques are a dual set of thieving techniques designed by Genma when he was younger. The moves are divided in two main categories: The Yama-sen-ken Mountain of the 1000 fists and the Umi-sen-ken Sea of the 1000 fists. Both are actually styled in ways similar to attacking a house. The Yama-sen-ken moves are all highly aggressive and violent, like a violent and aggressive thief attacking a house. The Umi-sen-ken are quiet and soft, but more difficult. It's a higher art, like a sneak thief attacking the house at night, while the occupants don't notice.

In the manga, Genma had "generously" given Ryu Kumon's father the Yama scroll, to help the Kumon Dojo, which was basically falling apart. However, after practicing on the Dojo itself, Ryu's dad pulled the building down on top of him. His last words to Ryu were to find the Umi-sen-ken, with which he believed the restoration of the Kumon Dojo could be possible. Afterwards, Ryu wandered around, naming himself "Ranma Saotome" (Ranma had doodled his name on the Yama-sen-ken scroll), and happened to save Nodoka one day, and named himself as "Ranma Saotome". Ryu then stayed at the Saotome house for several days, during which he was naturally challenged by Ranma.

In a latter fight, Ranma was almost killed by one of Ryu's attacks, and later demanded that Genma teach him the Umi-sen-ken. Genma briefly showed Ranma some of the moves on Ranma's body, which was enough for Ranma to understand, and then train to perfection the style of the Umi-sen-ken.

Meanwhile, Ryu was close to beating up Nodoka because he thought she had the Umi-sen-ken scrolls - they had been given to her by Genma before he left on the training expedition with Ranma, though Ryu couldn't bring himself to do anything.

In the final battle, it was agreed that if Ryu lost, he would 'seal away' the Yama-sen-ken, while if Ranma lost, Ryu would get the Umi-sen-ken. Ryu, hoping to learn the Umi-sen-ken off Ranma, deliberately tried to get Ranma to attack him with them, which Ranma did so. However, Ryu could not follow the moves, and on Ranma's first attack, he found himself lying on the ground in pain.

The battle ended with Ryu literally buried in a large mound of dirt.


	2. Chapter 2

**Fated Pasts, Chaotic Future**

A Ranma ½ and Sailor Senshi crossover Fanfic

Written by: Konsaki

This Fanfic was inspired by and uses source material from 'Lines of Destiny', a dead Fanfic created by Louis-Philippe Giroux.

oOo

The purple haired girl let out a long sorrowful sigh, feeling depressed and lonely. Or more appropriately, her loneliness was the cause of her depression. Another sigh, resounded in the small bedroom she used in the Outer's house. Her own little sanctuary in the world; where her mind and feelings tormented her in silence.

Hotaru sat on the edge of her bed, her eyes

dropped to the hands folded in her lap, light skin contrasting with the dark colors of her cloths. The young girl wasn't really looking at them, but they just lay there as her memories seemed to torture her.

Turing her head, she looked towards the end of her bed, sorrowful eyes seeing what wasn't really there. A ghostly image of a pink haired girl laughed at the latest joke she told, her happy voice filling the small room. Hotaru's lips bent into a wistful smile at the edges until the ghost from her mind faded back into nothingness.

"Usa-chan... I miss you...", her clear but weak voice called out into the emptiness. Hearing her words echo lightly off the walls, she reached up to wipe a stray tear that threatened to fall from her eye. 'I do miss her...' she said in her thoughts, remembering how the girl from the future departed to return to her own family.

Looking at a picture on her nightstand, she reminded herself that she wasn't truly alone without the time traveling girl. 'I have Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama and even Setsuna-san... but it's not the same', she lamented. There was something about having a friend your own age to talk to.

The smile stayed on the melancholy Senshi's face as mused about how the three older Outer Senshi treated her like a full adult. Since her rebirth, Hotaru had grown up at a phenomenal rate, though physically she was still younger than the rest of the Senshi. A small bit of her psyche found humor at the thought of if her adopted parents, Haruka and Michiru, ever tried to find a babysitter for a girl who could easily level the planet.

All traces of the smile faded from her face at that thought though. It was the entire reason she felt so lonely her entire life. 'Sailor Saturn... Senshi of Silence... Destroyer of Worlds...', she rattled her titles off in her head with no emotion. She remembered them all, everything they called he in the past. A byproduct of her lack of major physical growth was a perfect remembrance of her past life during the Silver Millennium.

At first, it was odd for the Senshi, as Hotaru kept making mistakes by calling her fellow Senshi by their past names. Usagi was called Serenity, like her mother; Mamoru was Endymion, after his father, and the other Senshi were no different. Even she had a different name, but she knew she would never be called it again, never called that name by the person she wanted to hear it from.

Her eyes flew wide, as she felt the yearning tug at her heartstrings. Her eyes relaxed, then, as the girl fell over to curl up in a ball on her bed, hugging her knees to her chest. A single sound escaped her lips as she felt her eyes overflow, wet drops of sadness and sorrow falling to the sheets.

"Kanma..."

oOo

_Silver Millennium, over eight thousand years ago..._

"He's where he always is, Princess Verika" the smiling woman said, knowing the princess would figure it out with ease.

"Oh, of course", Verika said, realizing what the woman meant almost instantly. "He's in the forge, right?" The smiling woman just nodded and glanced in the direction, even though her princess already knew the way like the back of her hand.

"Thank you!" the purple haired girl exclaimed as she ran in the correct direction, waving back as she went.

The guard just waved back before wincing as she saw Verika run into another person who turned a corner. Her smile wavered a second, devolving into a nervous grin as she heard the girl's voice from down the hall, "I'm sorry!"

Her accident with the man, who also apologized, barely slowed the girl down though. She was a woman on a mission to see the most important person in her life. She couldn't help but smile as the hallways flew by, until she finally slowed down hearing a familiar ring. The sounds of a hammer beating on metal bounced from wall to wall, music to the girl's ears, her stride adding a skip to it with the rhythm of the beat.

Finding the source of the call, she finally began to walk normally, hands clasped behind her as she neared the open door. Leaning around the corner, she suppressed a giggle as she looked inside at the target of her happy feelings. With that, she slipped inside the door to sit in a chair beside it, watching with interest.

The only other soul in the room was a sweat soaked male in stained work cloths. He paused for a second, looking at the piece of metal before him. Frowning, he grumbled something under his breath about it not cooperating before heating the metal back up and continuing the shaping of the metal with his hammer.

After a few more minutes, the man stopped, looking at the shaped metal once more. This time there was a grunt of satisfaction as he thrust the scorching hot material into a basin of water nearby, throwing a cloud of steam into the air along with a hiss. As the sounds faded with the heat, the girl heard his voice call to her, "Not even a hello for your brother? I'm hurt, Veri-chan!"

Verika just giggled, recognizing the joking tone for what it was, while sticking her tongue out cutely. "Good morning, Kanma-niisan!", she cried out a second later, seeing the grin on his face as he turned his eyes towards her over his shoulder.

He turned away from the basin, facing the girl completely with that grin, "Good morning, sister of mine!"

"What are you making?" the royal female asked, interested in whatever her brother was doing. Usually it was making a tool or some random item, but every once in a while, Kanma would make a weapon of some sort.

Lifting the now cooled object out of the water, Kanma showed his sister the half finished sword he had been working on. "I'm making this for a friend on Venus. His girlfriend said yes and it's going to be a present", he explained as he ran a hand along the blade. It didn't look like much right now, Verika knew, but given time, it would be one of the best swords in the solar system.

This was a favorite past time for the eldest son of the Royal Family of Saturn, though most people thought it an odd hobby for a prince. Still, he was very well known for producing some of the best weapons or tools one could find, especially if he enchanted them with magic. Being a Third Circle mage, he had enough magic to do so, making anything he felt like.

The efforts of his hobby, especially enchanted weapons, were well sought after. The problem was, for many collectors, Kanma didn't make many of them. He wasn't usually motivated to make weapons. Most of the time, he would just hammer away at a piece of metal with no goal in mind, as it was relaxing to him, so he said.

"Is someone going to make one for you when you finally find a girl you like?" she asked, teasing her older brother. She knew what his reaction would be, but she also knew that any girl in the court would go weak at the knees if he showed her any interest.

Even dismissing his royal blood and magical skills, which almost everyone had even though his were well above average, his looks could swoon from twenty paces. Kanma's hobby had gifted him with well defined muscles which fit him well, while sculpting his face into a handsome visage. This was all topped off with well kept hair tied back into a braid behind him, a black rope that swished on his back as he walked.

Hearing his sister's question, the blacksmith put a palm to his forehead, groaning at the thought of the latest lady of the court who tried to woo him. He was well aware of their thoughts, since he was a prize catch to them, but hadn't found a woman he liked yet. He just thought they were too sweet-tempered for his taste, which greatly annoyed his parents since he was of marrying age.

Having heard her brother grumble enough under her breath, Verika let out a loud giggle before saying, "Hey, did you hear the news?" A look of anticipation was plastered across her face as Kanma lowered his hand and gazed at her.

"What news?" he asked back, someone amused at his sisters antics while partially hesitant to hear the answer, considering the prior question she asked. Grinning as he thought of a way to get his own jab in, he continued, "Did the healers finally say you were going to gain another inch after all?"

He let out a laugh as his little sister jumped out of her chair, yelling at him in indignation, "Hey! I can't help it if I'm sort, okay!?"

The elder sibling slowly stopped laughing as he saw his sister fuming at him, arms crossed. "Okay, okay. Sorry, Veri-chan", he said with a smile before turning back to the forge, starting to reheat the metal with a spell. Over his shoulder, he asked while interested, "Now, what news are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the nominations of Sailors Terra and Saturn! The Royal Seer announced that today would be the day that the sigils appeared!"

Hearing that, she saw her brother cancel his spell and turn back towards her, abandoning the grin he once held for a frown. He knew well enough about how the sigil would appear on the forehead of the chosen Senshi. He also knew how it would change the girls, especially the unfortunate soul who became Sailor Saturn. "Please tell me you don't seriously _want _to be Sailor Saturn..."

"Why not?!", she asked, a bit miffed at her brother's comment. "Sailor Saturn is supposed to have great healing powers. I think it'd be great to become the best healer in the solar system!"

Kanma just stood there, still for a moment, before shaking his head and letting out a sigh. Putting forefinger and thumb to the bridge of his nose he asked his little sister, "Verika... You've never bothered to read the prophecies, have you."

"What prophecies...", she asked, slightly hesitant because of her brother's stance.

When he replied, Kanma spoke in a lecturing tone, one that his sister knew meant she should listen closely. "Many things have been said about the Legendary Sailor Saturn", he started out, nodding to his sister while continuing, "The prophecies do say she's supposed to be a great healer, but the very fact that she has been chosen to be Sailor Saturn means other things."

Hearing the last part, the underlying tone, the princess started fidgeting with her hands while asking, "Like what?"

"It's said that Saturn, while being a great healer, would also have the power to destroy worlds, entire planets, if she so chose to do so. It's also said that she will only awaken when the threat to the Moon Kingdom was at its greatest." When he finished saying that, he saw the pale look of his sister's face.

Sighing, he kneeled down in front of her and held her hands, speaking with emotion once more, "Do you see now? The reason why I'm worried about you becoming Sailor Saturn? People will only see the 'Bringer of Silence' or the 'Great Destroyer', not the wonderful healer she'll be. I'm sorry to disillusion you like this, Veri-chan, but you should be careful what you wish for. I'm just thankful that there are many other girls in the Royal Family who could also be chosen, but I still worry for you."

With a wry grin, he added, "I'm just glad I'm a guy and can't be chosen."

Hearing the lecture and worry from her brother, Verika was very uncomfortable talking about the subject of Sailor Saturn now. Quickly, she tried to change the subject to something else, "What about Sailor Terra, then?"

Kanma just stood with a snort, running a soot covered hand along his head. "No contest there. It's old news that Endymion's sister, Akana, will be Sailor Terra. It's always the princess of the Earth Royal Family, who becomes a Sailor Senshi and the current Sailor Terra... sorry, I should say _Elder_ Terra, is certain it will be Akana. She's supposed to be the strongest Senshi, behind Saturn that is."

Verika just nodded absently. She had a chance to meet Princess Akana before on a diplomatic meeting between their parents. She thought the princess wasn't bad looking, but she just acted way too much like a tomboy at times.

...

Later that fateful day, the sigil of Saturn appeared on Princess Verika's forehead, changing her life forever...

oOo

_Present day..._

From outside her room, the sound of the front door opening and closing broke Hotaru from her memories. Quickly wiping her eyes and straightening her cloths, she exited her room and headed towards the entrance. When she got there, Haruka and Michiru were already taking their coats off.

"How was the concert, Michiru-mama?" the girl asked her adopted mother.

Michiru folded the coat over her arm as she replied, "Oh, it was all right."

Haruka just gave Hotaru a grin and a wink as she corrected her lover's statement, "She means it went perfect, as usual." The sandy haired girl then gave Michiru a playful kiss on the cheek as she wrapped an arm around the woman.

The dark haired girl just sighed as she watched this unfold. She knew that the relationship between the two was strange, but at least they had each other. She, on the other hand, had no one truly close to her. With a shake of her head, she kicked herself mentally for whining like that.

"Um... Where's Setsuna-mama...", she asked, looking for the eldest of the females who lived in the household.

"She said she had some stuff to attend to", Haruka replied with an annoyed tone, "and you know that if she wants to keep a secret, it's kept." Shaking her head, she continued, "For all we know, she could be reversing the flow of time and we'd never know about it. Kami only knows when she'll be back from her gate."

oOo

_Across Juuban_

Catching a rare moment of peace while the girls were out shopping, Luna and Artemis were catching an enjoyable catnap. This meant, they never noticed the Guardian of Time appear out of midair, without a flash or sound. Noticing their still forms, Pluto raised her staff and channeled through it, causing a beam of light to flash from the Garnet Orb to the crescent moons on the felines' foreheads. The crescents shined, but other than causing the moon cats to stir slightly, there was no physical change and both stayed asleep.

With the task completed, Pluto's lips gained the slightest hint of a smile as she thought, 'At least now, they will be able to handle all the questions they'll be getting from the Senshi and Mamoru. In time at least...'

She let out an inaudible sigh as she continued, 'I doubt they will realize just how difficult their task will be...' She wasn't thinking about the questions that would be answered but the reason why the questions would be asked in the first place. 'Everything hinges on this... We must not fail!'

Letting out another silent sigh, she thought about what she had previously set into motion. Another should be remembering an old memory, prodding looks into their past life. Now, it was only a matter of luck and fate if they remembered their sister...

'Or is it brother', Setsuna pondered as a true grin graced her lips an instant before she disappeared without any flare.

oOo

_Nerima_

Akane had fallen asleep early the prior evening. Whether she would admit to it or not, the wedding day had really tired her out, both emotionally and physically. Having a quick moment to themselves, Akane and her new husband had quickly agreed to sleep separately, each to their normal rooms.

The reason was twofold as; first, they didn't want to be... tempted by anything that would require... exertion. They both had planned on leaving first thing in the morning, taking a train to Juuban, leaving Nerima as quickly as possible. Just because they were married didn't mean that some new weird martial arts challenger wouldn't appear out of nowhere.

The second reason was their fathers... and Nabiki. The fathers were ever so subtly, for them, pushing for the first reason to happen and they knew either they or Nabiki... probably both, would try and capture _it _on film.

Even though they were separated by the walls between their rooms, Akane dreamed of the man she finally admitted she loved and would spend the rest of her days with. She sighed in her sleep, smiling as she dreamt of Ranma. She had dreamed of him before, but now there was no hesitation in her mind.

Even so, her dreams slowly changed partway into the night, flowing from images of a certain black haired boy to images she had never seen or imagined before. A figure floated in the darkness of her mind, but she wasn't afraid of it. It took many shapes; sometimes an ornate old-fashioned dress, others a ridiculously abbreviated sailor suit.

Throughout all this though, two things stayed the same. One, the young girl's face never changed throughout the images. The second was the fact that, no matter the form, Akane felt a strong connection... a kinship with the girl.

Even as she wondered what it all meant, the images slowly faded back to Ranma. Akane's sleeping form relaxed it's furrowed brow and let out a contented sigh...

oOo

In the other room, Ranma was having his own dreams. His were similar to Akane's, thinking about his new wife and the college life that awaited them both in the next morning. A smile was worn on his mouth as he, too, dreamt about living his entire life with Akane. So, too, did his dreams shift from this to a young girl... That's where the similarities stopped... save one, it was of a young girl.

These were not still images, the pigtailed fighter saw, but the running silhouette of a young girl whose face was obscured. He couldn't see why she was running, along with what from or where to. He knew her though... For some reason, some inexplicable reason, he knew he once was, and still is, closely bound to this girl.

Having experience with meditative techniques though his martial arts training, the dreamer willed his dreams to focus. For some reason, he knew he had to see the girl's face. It was important somehow, and as he focused the face cleared...

oOo

"MPHM", came the muffled cry of surprise from underneath the giant panda. Using his muscles, Ranma pushed his father off him, clearly angry at the sleeping panda. 'Damn! It's the third time in three days I've had that weird dream! This time I'm just about to figure out who the girl is and the freaking idiot here rolls on top of me!'

Throughout his silent tirade, Ranma had stood up, pondering if he should kick the large laying form or not. Deciding it would cause more trouble that it was worth, the martial artist just shot a glare down receiving nothing in return from the oblivious panda who scratched at an itch.

Snorting, he walked around his father towards the window, opening them to get some fresh air. With that, he jumped up towards the roof and lay down at his usual thinking spot. It was a warm night and comfortable enough with the added benefit of not having a chance of a panda rolling onto you.

Furrowing his brow, Ranma continued his train of thought about the dream, 'I thought the dream was pre-wedding jitters... now I'm not so sure.' After a few seconds of random thinking, which got him nowhere, he snorted again, "Whatever, if it gets worse I can always ask Rei about it... Maybe she'll know something about dreams."

Grumbling again about stupid pandas and stupid dreams, Ranma put his arms behind his head and tried to catch some more sleep. This time, he only dreamt about his new wife, causing a contented smile similar to hers to appear...

oOo

_The next day_

The following morning, Kasumi and Nodoka had prepared an extravagant feast for breakfast. They both knew that this would be the last meal with the pair for a long time and wanted to send the newlyweds off well fed. Needless to say, there was enough food made that even with Genma and Ranma doing their best to finish it off, there were still leftovers.

Almost more surprising was the happy smile that Akane held throughout the meal. She never commented on Ranma's eating habits, though to be fair, her husband tried his best to slow down some. It was the perfect family meal the joined families would ever have...

Afterwards, Ranma had gone up to his room to finish packing his belongings. His wife went up to hers to do the same. When they came back down, Ranma had his camping backpack with all his stuff and Akane had a suitcase with her essentials. They would have the rest of her things delivered once they found an apartment in Juuban.

Up next on the list of leaving home; the tearful good-byes...

"Please take good care of yourselves, okay?" Kasumi said as she hugged her sister goodbye. Pulling back, she wiped at her eyes, smiling at her and then Ranma.

"Don't worry, Kasumi. We will, I promise", Akane replied, smiling back at her sister.

"If you need a loan", Nabiki started, gathering Ranma's gaze, "don't hesitate to call me, okay? I have special rates for family." She finished with a wink, but the look was ruined as a sad smile graced her face, unable to keep the Ice Queen image up.

"Uh... hopefully we won't need any, but thanks...", Ranma carefully said back to the female.

"It shouldn't be so bad, Nabiki", Akane added, "We'll probably see each other at the university."

The middle sister looked at her younger sibling, surprised to find that she saw to the point, but Nabiki didn't show it outwardly. She did grace the statement with a quick, "That's true."

Then, the real waterworks started as Soun's self control, what little there was in respect to his daughters, wore out and he pushed forward to hug his youngest. "My daughter is growing up! She's married and leaving home! Mother would be so proud!"

Not wanting to have to change her blouse and chance missing the train, Akane quickly hugged her father and pushed him to arms reach, smiling at him. "It's going to be ok, Dad."

As Soun started bawling again, Ranma broke free from the Tendo's to talk with his own parents.

"Boy", Genma started up, "be sure to take care of Akane and continue the Art. You're the newest master of the Saotome style. Also, try and keep your curse secret, eh?"

Ranma just snorted as he grinned at his father's last comment, "Come on, Pop. I'll do my best, but we're water magnets. You should know that. I'll do my best with all three though..."

"That's good, bo... son", Genma replied, a proud smile across his face.

"Also, dear, make sure to tell Rei we are grateful for what she's doing. Please be polite during your visit, too", Nodoka brought up with matronly wisdom.

Ranma just scratched the back of his neck, "Sure thing, Mom. I'll visit when I can, ok?"

"That's all I can hope for. We are so proud of you, Ranma", she tenderly said as she stepped up and hugged the son she hadn't seen in ten years. Now he was leaving her again, but he had his own life to live.

Ranma hugged his mother back, enjoying the feeling but not missing the tears that soaked through his shirt. "Don't cry, Mom. I'll be back."

Nodoka sniffed back her tears, dabbing at them with a kerchief she had hidden beforehand. Smiling weakly, she declared, "I expect grandchildren..."

Ranma just blushed and weakly laughed as he found a reason to look at the nearby clock. Noting the time, both newlyweds made a final wave to their family and headed on their way to the train station.

oOo

Mamoru let out an annoyed groan as he sat on the train headed back to Juuban. He had been reading a magazine which top story was the popular mysteries surround the Sailor Senshi. 'This ought to be good', he sarcastically remarked as he finally hit the pages containing the article.

He quickly parsed through the rumors and wrong comments made about the Senshi. He couldn't help but snort and grin at some of the preposterous notions they actually wrote. But once his eyes rolled onto a musing of the author, he read that part thoroughly.

"... another one of the mysteries surrounding the Sailor Senshi is the fact that every planet has a Senshi named after it, save for the most important one: the planet Earth. Oddly enough, the leader of the all girl monster fighting group is named after the moon, Earth's satellite."

Mamoru just grinned, knowing the reason behind it; Moon Kingdom and all... The next line caused him to frown though...

"Is there, or has there ever been a Sailor Earth?"

It was a simple enough question, sure, but for some reason it brought up many more in Mamoru's mind. For some reason, he couldn't say no to that question. Shaking his head, he continued reading though.

"What about the mysterious Sailor V? Was she related to the group? Only the Senshi could answer these questions, and they never stay around for interviews."

Knowing the answer already to the Sailor V question, he closed the magazine and set it back down on the tray he originally got it from. Even without the magazine in his hand though, he kept repeating one line in his head, 'Is there, or has there ever been a Sailor Earth?'

His brow creased as a frown crossed his face. 'Sailor Earth...', he echoed in his head. 'It doesn't sound right... Something's off.' With that thought in mind, he started wandering through his memories and somehow got caught up in his nightly dream, the girl within it more precisely.

He was so intent on his concentration that he failed to hear the speakers chime the next stop: Nerima Station...

oOo

The train finally rolled to a stop, the cab door opening in front of the couple. With the safety chime calling it was safe to enter, Akane and her husband entered the train along with the few other passengers. They had entered a car near the end of the train, as fewer people usually bothered to walk that far. They were rewarded with a relatively empty vehicle on their way to Juuban.

Sitting down in a pair of empty seats, they noticed an older male sitting across from them, deep in thought. In a moment, their luggage was stored and Ranma saw that the man finally noticed them. Both exchanged a nod at each other. Knowing he'd get bored quickly, he reached over to the magazine rack and pulled the first one he saw.

He noticed Akane do the same as Ranma opened up the magazine, noticing how the main article was on the Sailor Senshi. He just read from the table of contents back, not really in any rush since the train would take a while. As he read though, he felt the man on the other side of them watching the pair. The problem was, whenever he would look up from the magazine to examine the man, he would be looking out the window. Ranma only gave a mental shrug as he went back to reading...

Mamoru, though, was in a world of puzzlement. The moment he noticed the two, he felt something, but he couldn't tell what. He looked at the woman in the yellow dress and, though she was pretty, didn't feel anything coming from her. It was when he focused on her husband that something itched the back of his brain.

He finally shifted his gaze towards the window, looking at the reflection of the man every once in a while, but still feeling completely lost. For some reason, he knew the black haired guy... or at least he seemed very familiar for some reason, but he couldn't quite explain it...

Waving a white flag of defeat in his mind, Mamoru abandoned that line of thought for one he should be thinking about. Usagi... She would be waiting for him at the station.

oOo

_Juuban Station_

When Minako, minus her cat, and Ami arrived at the station, they weren't surprised to find Usagi and Luna already there. Ignoring a badly said line about early birds and food, Ami agreed that Usagi probably had been there long before the two girls had even left their homes.

The one they _were_ surprised to find there in the station was a young girl with dark purple hair. "Hotaru-chan, it's good to see you", Minako chirped out at the younger Senshi. "Keeping Usagi company for us?"

Hotaru turned towards the voice and smiled at the blonde, "Minako! Yes... well, I was really bored sitting around the apartment doing nothing. I figured I could help Usagi welcome Mamoru-san back."

"That makes quite a few of us here to greet him", mentioned Ami, a smile on her face.

"Um... Where's Artemis?", an inquisitive Hotaru asked.

Minako grumbled a bit as she replied, "He stayed at home. He said he doesn't like places where people will step on him." Hearing that, Luna gave a loud sniff from where she was standing.

Remembering something, Ami broke in, "Say, isn't Rei's cousin supposed to arrive on this train as well?"

Her question brought three girls repeating one word back, as Usagi, Hotaru and Minako exclaimed, "Cousin!?" Luna wisely chose not to say anything, being in a crowded place where talking cats would be noticed, but her face showed surprise as well.

The next few minutes were spent with Ami explaining how Rei would be having her cousin and his wife staying at the shrine for the next few days. Hearing this, Minako was clearly disappointed by the fact that a wife was mentioned, while Usagi and Hotaru wondered what Rei's cousin was like. Luna, on the other hand, bore a look at the genius that said they would be talking when in private.

A few seconds went past as the girls absorbed the information, until Hotaru spoke up, "Why didn't Rei come here to welcome her cousin?"

"Her grandfather left with Yuuichiro on a trip, so she has special shrine duties today", Ami explained, as normal, "She said she gave her cousin the address already, so he shouldn't have a problem finding it on his own."

"What does he look like, anyways?" Minako asked. Usagi quickly added in, "Yeah, we could always accompany him to the shrine instead of letting him find it himself."

"Sorry, but Rei never told me what he looked like. I don't even know if she knows herself. Last time she saw him was almost ten years ago", Ami replied with an apologetic gesture.

"Do you at least know his name?" came a question that caused Ami to kick herself. "Sorry, I didn't ask."

Usagi broke the conversation a second later quickly stating, "We'll see what he looks like later! The train is arriving!" Upon hearing that, three girls plus a cat gave a good natured sigh at the Senshi leader. A lot had changed in the last few weeks, but one constant was the fact that Usagi was still single-mindedly obsessed with Mamoru.

As the train pulled to a stop; the girls waited expectantly until finally the doors open. With a miniature stampede, people exited the train, Usagi looking wildly in all directions. Finally, Mamoru exited the train, to a squeal of delight from the twin ponytailed blonde.

The rest of the group noticed the girl's quick escape as she ran through the crowd to glomp her boyfriend. As they ran up, they could clearly hear, "Mamo-chan! I missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too, Usako", he easily replied as he put her into an easy hug, careful with the small case he was carrying.

While Usagi gushed over her boyfriend though, Minako was actively searching the mass of people for something else. Finally, her eyes focused on a Grade A that pegged her hunk meter. 'I'm in love', she dreamily told herself as she saw the muscular young man, who looked only slightly older than herself. His muscles were nice and toned while his black hair was tied back in a pigtail style braid. The red and black chinese outfit just looked dreamy on him in her eyes.

Nudging Ami, and even Hotaru, she pointed and informed them, "Hey girls, check out the major hunk over there! Isn't he gorgeous!?"

The teal haired genius looked where the love-struck girl was pointing, easily seeing the hunk. The problem was she also saw what was behind him, too. "Look right behind him, Minako. I think he's taken already."

Focusing her gaze beyond the hunk, which was hard for the girl to do, she felt her dreams crash around her as she noticed the girl holding his hand. Had she really thought about it, the girl would have looked a little like Ami, but all she could think about was pouting, "Awww... It's not fair!"

As for Hotaru, she wasn't just looking at the couple; she was staring wide eyed at that. 'Misaka! He... She... They look just like them...', the broken thoughts ran through her mind. Shaking herself to clear it, she chided herself, 'You're imagining things, Hotaru... Neither could be alive today. They both died millennia ago, right before the end of the Silver Millennium. Besides... it's backwards...'

She got no farther as a beeping from Ami's bag brought her attention back to the group. She saw the teal haired girl reach in and pull out a compact computer which resembled a laptop. What she saw startled her as, eyes widening, she grabbed Usagi's shoulder, ripping her off Mamoru.

Before the blonde could get a complaint out at her friend, Ami tried to get out in an urgent tone, "Usagi! My computer's detected a..."

She got no farther, before a wall nearby exploded inward showering the quickly panicked crowd with dust and rock. Along with the explosion, there was a gut wrenching roar as a deformed humanoid monster slowly stepped through the dust and rubble.

"...daimon nearby", she finished weakly, pointing her computer at the daimon.

Usagi just cursed under her breath as she looked around at the area they were in. There was no place easy to get to that would hide their transformation and people were screaming and fleeing the area causing mass chaos. All in all, a bad situation.

The girl let out a curse as she thought about the month and a half they had of peace and the increased grades she had gained over it. Everyone was surprised at her, but she said it was because there were no monster attacks to interrupt her thought process. The girls had been inclined to believe her, but now... it was starting back up again. "Damn..."

Looking at the monster again, she started out, "All right!" Her face darkened with each second that passed, "Let's find a place to transform and then take care of..."

She got no farther as all hell broke loose around her...

End of Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

**Fated Pasts, Chaotic Future**

A Ranma ½ and Sailor Senshi crossover Fanfic

Written by: Konsaki

This Fanfic was inspired by and uses source material from 'Lines of Destiny', a dead Fanfic created by Louis-Philippe Giroux.

oOo

As the large mass transit vehicle rolled to a stop, Ranma, Akane and the man across from them all stood to get their luggage. The pig tailed martial artist took mild note of Mamoru also getting off at Juuban, but shrugged it off as the older male was acting naturally. With that, Ranma's mind switched off to other things, more important things, like holding his wife's hand and getting off the train before he found himself stuck on it till the next stop.

Akane smiled as she held her husband's left hand, walking off the train with him into their new life. 'A new life, away from crazy fiancées, Kuno, well... away from Nerima insanity in general!', she thought as her foot hit Juuban concrete. Looking up to Ranma, she swore she could feel the same thing radiating from him.

They stood there, outside the train, for a few moments, soaking in the feeling of freedom. Her attention was drawn to a small commotion nearby, though, as Usagi cried and practically jumped on the man that was sitting across from them on the train. Her first thought was, 'She has really odd hair...', but she quickly frowned after the thought was squashed in her mind by an older more annoying one.

For some reason, her mind played a trick on her, replacing the blonde girl with a certain purple haired chinese amazon and Mamoru with Ranma. An eyebrow twitched in habitual reaction, due to all the times it had actually happened that way. She could feel the pull of her mallet as she started to anger, but a quick squeeze of her hand had her to her side, where her new husband was.

She saw him watching the same event, but also saw the look on his face that radiated, 'You poor bastard...' With that in mind, Akane shook her head, chiding herself, 'Get a grip! Shampoo's gone and Ranma's yours. Quit worrying...'

She got no farther in her thoughts as she was quickly swept up into the air. An explosion rang out an instant later, the roar of... something... breaking through the air, the latter sending shivers down her spine. By the time she figured out what was going on, she found herself back on the ground, surrounded by a group of girls, while Ranma jumped away, muttering, "I thought I left this shit in Nerima..."

oOo

A split second before all chaos had broken loose, Ranma felt something coming. Both Ami's computer and Ranma's sixth sense pinged their respective owners, but since the martial artist's warning was internal, he reacted first. 'Oh come on, I just got here, too...', he thought to himself as he swept his wife up into his arms.

Even as the explosion happened in virtual slow motion, Ranma was in the air with his wife, performing a short hop towards a group of girls he felt Akane would be safe with. While floating through the air, his mind was going a kilometer a second, processing what he saw stomping out of the wall. The only thing he thought as he felt the energy radiating off the beast was that it was a demon of some sort.

Then his mind switched back to the article, the one about the Sailor Senshi. Apparently it was right about the monster attacks which he now believed plagued the Juuban area. The Senshi usually took care of them though, but with the monster causing panic right now, Ranma knew that he'd have to fight it. He was already here, after all...

As he set his wife down amongst the girls, he had a flash image in his mind; the blurred picture of the Senshi in their multicolored sailor suits. For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that it seemed so familiar. Growling, he shook his head, muttering, "I thought I left this kind of shit in Nerima...", before jumping off towards the monster, intent on stopping the damage before it got worse.

The Senshi, on the other hand, were surprised not only by the monster, but by having two people, literally, land right in the middle of them. So shaken, they forgot completely about finding a place to transform and just stared at the hunk and the girl with him, as he set her down on the ground like they had walked there. A split second later, the girls heard the grumblings of leaving something unpleasant in Nerima before he jumped off again, this time towards the monster who was looking around for easy pickings.

"What is he doing!?", Hotaru yelled out, to her sister in arms and the woman in the yellow dress before her. Her eyes widened as she heard the almost uninterested, maybe even annoyed, response from the older female as she smoothed her skirt out a little with a free hand.

"The baka's probably going to fight it. As usual...", Akane replied, sighing at the end, feeling the Nerima chaos following them like a lost puppy.

As the smaller girl, spoke up again, Akane turned to her, noticing the strange purple eyes. She almost missed what Hotaru was saying, feeling that she'd seen those eyes somewhere before. "He... he can't fight a youma alone!" But after a second, seeing Akane's face, she asked, "Can he..."

The other girls, Mamoru and Luna were too shocked to see someone, a normal human, jump headfirst towards combat with a monster. So intent at looking at the crazy fool flying away from them, they completely forgot to even look for a place to transform. Mamoru just unconsciously winced; knowing in the far back of his mind there would be a red smear on the station concrete floor before this was over.

oOo

The flying martial artist got his first real look at the youma as he flew towards it. He gritted his teeth as he thought, 'I knew it would be ugly, but god damn! Even Taro's cursed form is better looking than this... thing!'

Knowing Ranma's almost legendary ineptitude at telling a lie, had he told one of the people back in Nerima what he was about to fight, they still might not have believed him. The monster stood around two and a half meters tall, give or take, and had two legs the thickness of telephone poles. That's where the similarities between it and humans ended as Ranma took stock of its four arms, each with clawed... hand things. It looked more like a mutated insect to the pigtailed fighter after analyzing each part; hell, it looked like it even had shell armor.

Ranma quickly forced himself out of his analysis of the thing before him, as he touched down a good five meters away. When he landed, he saw it had picked up a person, a businessman from the look of it, and was holding the man in the air. As the fighter watched for a second, the kicking and screaming man seemed to grow weaker as Ranma saw the chi being sucked out of the victim. If there had been any thoughts against hurting the creature, they were gone, thrown to the wind.

With a growl, the redshirted fighter rushed in with inhuman speed. The next thing the Senshi saw, from their position, was the youma jerking back a couple of meters; a couple of their jaws went slack at that. To Ranma though, he furrowed his brow, knowing he didn't really do any damage to the armor his fist hit. He was satisfied when a man landed on the ground behind him. A weak scream followed, as the drained man tried to flee as fast as his body would let him.

"Ok, ugly, just you an' me now!", Ranma called out a challenge to the insect-like monster. The thing just growled back, examining the idiotic human before it with its sub-par intelligence. Ranma grew tired quickly of waiting, though. 'Let's see if I can really pull it off...', he thought, as fresh memories of his family's Forbidden Techniques came to mind.

The people with Akane thought the hunk had gone insane, not only for attacking the monster, but once they saw him look like he was snatching something out of the air. Ranma grinned as he felt it, the feeling he got as he snatched out with both hands. A split second later, the wavering in the air sent his ego soaring as Ranma knew he was successful. He finished it off, yelling, 'Kijin Raishuu Dan!"

The youma never knew what hit it as the near invisible blades of vacuum were sent towards it. All it knew was the being before it had done something and the next instance it was in pain... a lot of pain. It let out a roar, letting the whole area know such, as two of its four arms fell neatly off before dissolving into nothingness.

Ranma quirked an eyebrow, both at the effect of the blades had; along with the lack of blood spurting from the wounds. He couldn't give much more thought to it, though, as the giant rushed at him, at an unlikely fast speed for its size. Feeling cocky about being able to get the first technique off, he was spurred to try again, as he waited for the black skinned creature till the last second.

Right before the monster's two remaining arms would have made contact, Ranma let out his own fierce roar, charged with his own ki. It slowed the youma just enough for the martial artist to deflect the attacks with his arms, still staying right in the monster's path. An instant later, Ranma had finished charging his leg with as much chi as he could. He broke into blinding motion then, yelling "Mouko Kaimon Ha!", flashing his leg out, smashing into the youma's face. There was a noticeable crunching sound as the monster's head slammed backwards, and then it was stilled.

Lowering his foot slowly, Ranma said a silent prayer to the gods for forgiveness in killing the beast. Sure, it wasn't the first time, since he had to take out Saffron, but it was against the Martial Artist's code to kill. He just shook his head as he turned back towards Akane, 'Sometimes... you have to do what you have to do.'

That's where his mind and body froze. His muscles tensed as he stood ramrod straight, not looking at Akane or the people around her. No, he was looking towards the ground, where a small black cat stood, near one of the blonde's feet. This turned out to be the worst thing to happen for Ranma, as the dead monster cracked its neck back upright, giving it a quick shake, before glaring at the turned human.

He barely heard Akane shout out a warning before a blow to the side of his head sent him flying across the train platform. An instant later, he felt himself crash into a wall, imbedding himself a foot or so into it. This is when the monster decided, in some flash of insight that it had better leave while the chance was there. The injured youma froze where it was though, as it heard a female scream, "Not so fast!" The next moment it, too, was flying across the train station, via a mallet smash to the body.

oOo

The Senshi winced as they saw the young man freeze. They heard Akane yell out to him, followed by the blindsided impact of one of the monster's claws against his head, sending him flying. The sickening sound of impact reached their ears and they all winced. They knew what had happened, remembering their own instances with flying into walls, but they also knew that this was a human, not a magically powered Senshi. So intent on the fight, they never even saw the sigil of Earth flash upon Mamoru's forehead, only to disappear after a few second.

Akane just groaned at her husband before saying, "Great, now I've got to help him..."

To their surprise, the girl blasted off towards the monster, though slower than the male a minute ago. Still, she was fast and made it there easily before the monster made its next move. Then, out of nowhere, she yelled, "Not so fast!" The Senshi, plus Mamoru, blinked as they saw her empty hands suddenly filled with a two-handed mallet. The next second, the mallet was in full swing at the monster's body, making contact and sending it flying like it had to her husband. The following instant, her hands were empty like they had never held anything in the first place.

oOo

Back in the wall across the station, Ranma shook his head clear. If anything, all the collision with the wall did, was make him dirty, pissed and broken free from his fear induced state from the cat. Climbing out of the rubble, he heard the crack of mallet on armor plating, drawing his sight across the station. He couldn't help but grin as he saw the monster starting its flight towards him, via his wife's mallet attack. 'She's still damn good with that thing...', he mused as he prepared for the flying monster.

Cupping his hands at his side, he channeled his ki into them and then out, forming a concentrated glowing ball hovering in between them. He waited, pushing as much power as he could into the blast, tired of the quick fight. Finally, he thrust his arms forward while blasting his voice into the air, "Moko Takabisha!"

What the Senshi had seen from the couple before was quickly filed as amusing compared to the display they now saw. From the chinese dressed fighter, flew a golden ball of energy, leaving a contrail of golden energy behind it. Almost instantly, it impacted its flying victim, exploding in a radiance that made onlookers flinch, minus the man who threw it.

Then, after the flash abated, the charred remains of the youma slammed to the floor, a crumpled mess of what it once was. The smell that wafted from it was horrible, making a couple of the panicked civilians, who were too afraid to run during the fight, retch. Ranma and Akane just examined the body from afar before widening their eyes as it dissolved like the severed arms earlier, leaving nothing but the smell behind.

A quick hop later and Ranma was dusting himself off while taking the final steps towards his wife. While an annoyed frown graced her face, her husband was all grins as he said, "Nice swing, Akane. You've been practicing."

While her frown lessened at the praise from her husband, the yellow dressed female continued to frown, now looking at where the monster used to be. "What _was_ that thing?", she asked him, before continuing, "Where did _it_ go?"

Knocking the last few flecks of rubble from his shoulder, Ranma just shrugged. "Don't know for sure, but I think I read about it on the train." Rubbing the back of his neck, he pulled a magazine out of a kiosk nearby and said something he knew Akane wouldn't like, "Seems it happens a lot here."

He expected it when she growled out, "Great... so who handles these things? The police?" Her voice carried sarcasm at the last question.

Ranma was flipping through the magazine before stopping at a particular article. Handing it over to his wife, he answered, "Seems the Sailor Senshi usually handle this thing." Her eyes graced the big picture printed on the paper, twitching as she scanned over the scantily clad females. She just commented with one annoyed word, "Wonderful..."

oOo

"What the heck just happened, Ami..." a stunned Minako asked, eyes not leaving the hunk she had scouted earlier.

After a second though, the teal haired genius found herself the focus of all the other Senshi present, along with the reincarnated prince of Earth and a moon cat. "What are you looking at _me_ for?! I know as much as you!", she cried out in defense.

"Well, you _are_ usually the one who comes up with the answer," Usagi intoned, with a matter-of-fact feeling.

Ami was about to come back with an uncharacteristic retort when she was broken from it by a beeping coming from her hands. Looking down, she looked at her computer while dropping the comment. Meanwhile, Hotaru called out, "They're leaving!"

Everyone else looked up to see the couple walk out of the train station. A second later, Usagi commanded, "Come on! We have to find out who they are!" With that, the group ran towards the exiting fighters, not far behind them. When they went through the doorway, though, they only found empty streets, not seeing the couple in any direction. "Where'd they go?", came the leader's confused question.

There weren't any forthcoming answers...

oOo

In truth, the martial artists never left the station. Looking down at the gathered group below them, Ranma and Akane watched the confusion in their body movements. The pair wouldn't have been out and on the roof if Ranma hadn't had said earlier, "Akane, I think we'd better bail. We made too much noise and I think I saw a c-c-cat..."

Akane just let out a sigh and put her fingers to her forehead. She'd have to find a way to break his fear of cats somehow. But she resigned herself that he was right as, after he said that, she felt the stares starting and heard the flowing whispers. The whispers revolved around Youma's, monsters, Sailor Senshi and then general questions of who Ranma and she were. With that and a shake of her head, they both had exited and jumped straight up to the roof.

Seeing the group underneath them start to talk amongst themselves, mainly to a teal haired girl that looked sorta like Akane, the pair started roof-hopping away from the station, headed in the general direction of the shrine.

oOo

"Okay, Ami, first things first; what _was_ that monster?" Usagi demanded, adding "We haven't had one of those for a long time, now!"

Ami just blinked at the uncharacteristic action of her leader, along with everyone else. Nodding, she looked down at her computer once again and pressed a few buttons before speaking up, "According to my computer, it was a Daimon." Nodding slightly in thought, she continued, "Probably a reject from a leftover Daimon egg. I'm surprised we didn't find it earlier..."

"Well, now for the million yen question: What do you have on the guy that killed it?" Ami blinked again due to the other blonde's uncharacteristic question. Minako stood, waiting for the answer with arms crossed.

Nodding again, the genius answered, "He's quite human, if that's what you're asking about. I got some readings since I had my computer online during the attack."

"So let's hear it", came the simple response from the cat at their feet. Luna was quite surprised to see what happened, along with her charges, but she wanted to know more to talk to the other moon cat later.

"Well, what you saw inside speaks for itself, really. He's fast, strong and agile... almost inhumanly such. He might even be faster than the Senshi...", she paused, looking around the group before continuing. "He has a high defense and, what seems to be, pain tolerance. I mean, he slammed into the wall and had no physical signs of injury. He even took a Daimon hit to the head!"

Usagi broke in with before Ami could go any farther though, "What about the energy ball the threw?"

"I'm sorry, Usagi", Ami apologized, "I didn't have enough time to get a reading..."

Beside her though, Minako just let out a shiver. "The way he cut of that Daimon's arm... Ugh... I don't _ever_ want to be on his bad side." The other girls nodded as she continued, "But that girl, she pulled that hammer out of nowhere and smacked it around like a baseball... How'd she do that?!" Ami just shrugged in response.

Usagi looked to Mamoru then, noticing the concentration on his face as he frowned and shook his head. "What's wrong Mamo-chan?" ,she asked.

"They were on the train with me on the trip here. They sat right across from me and I didn't notice a single thing..." His voice trailed off into uncertainty at that point, his fingers resting on his chin.

"Out with it, Mamoru, what's going on?", Minako demanded of the Earth prince.

He just shook his head in response, as if clearing it. He still didn't lose the thoughtful look on his face though as he responded, "It's probably nothing, but... I swear, that guy looked _very_ familiar for some reason... I just can't place it. I'm sure I've seen him before..."

At that point, Hotaru broke in, finally snapping out of her own thoughtful pose. "You too, Mamoru-san?"

During the conversation, the group had started walking away from the station, but at Hotaru's question, everyone came to a screeching halt. They stared at the girl then at Mamoru and back when they saw both the male and the youngest female look towards each other.

"What's going on?", Usagi asked, but was ignored by both prince and purple eyed girl.

Finally, after a few seconds, Hotaru simply asked, "Where do you think you know him from?"

Mamoru just let out a long sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "I'm going to sound crazy...", he admitted in a low voice, as if talking to himself before speaking up to the group, "Well, I've been having these strange dreams over the past few days..."

With that, everyone had locked their attention on the man, and he could feel it. "It's of the old days... of the Moon Kingdom. I'm wearing Endymion's armor in it and there's this girl..." At that, he paused, hearing Usagi's intake of breath, but continued as she said nothing. "She's always running towards me, but I can never see her face... Just shadows..." Letting out another sigh, he ran the hand at his face through his hair, "When I saw the guy, I started thinking about the girl. I don't know why I should connect the both like that in the first place."

Everyone just stared at him in silence as his gaze went internal before being broken outward again, back towards the shorter purple haired girl. "You really don't remember her... do you?", she asked in a sad voice.

A chill ran up and down his spine at that statement. The hand that was on his head fell limp to his side as he opened his mouth and closed it. Then he finally found his voice, weak as it was, "Remember who?"

"I know who that guy reminds you of... If it wasn't for the hair color and... and the fact that he's a guy, he would look just like...", she tried to say, but had to pause, the gaze he gave too intense. Taking a small breath, she looked down to her wringing hands, her voice just above a whisper, "...your sister."

Mamoru took a step back, looking like someone had just punched him in the gut. Eyes wide, he stammered out something unrecognizable as the other people around stared at either of the two. Finally, the words escaped him, full of emotion but lacking in volume, "I had a sister..." It was a question, but Mamoru also knew it was a stated fact. He knew it was true.

After a few moments for his mind to process this, his face turned from shock to almost rage as he glared down to the moon cat. "Why was I never told about my sister!?", he almost roared at Luna. The cat flinched and hid behind Usagi's leg, trying to escape the glare. She wanted to say she didn't know, that she hadn't known before this, but for some unknown reason she did know. Somehow she just remembered everything, like turning on a light switch, but she couldn't find the words to tell Mamoru that.

Thankfully, Hotaru came to the rescue of the poor moon cat, "Mamoru, there's no guarantee that she did know about Akana. Remember, hers and Artemis' memory are like swiss-cheese. There are holes still."

Hearing her defense of the cat, the man swung his gaze to the girl, causing her to flinch. Seeing this, he calmed down, but just by a fraction, "Then how do _you_ know?"

"When I was reborn after the Pharaoh 90 incident, I grew up fast, but I also kept a lot of memories from back then... almost all of them", Hotaru nervously replied. Seeing how he was affecting the girl, Mamoru relaxed and mumbled an apology as he waved her to continue. "I don't think your sister was reborn like us, Mamoru."

He raised an eyebrow at that, not sure how to take it, but nodded her to go on, which she did, "Akana and I became Terra and Saturn on the same day back then. We were the last to awaken." She took a breath, "She was supposed to be the strongest right behind me, but..."

Mamoru's eyes twitched at the sudden stop, "But, what?"

"She mysteriously disappeared at the same time of Metallia's attack. I don't know what happened to her. I just know that if she was reincarnated, we would have met her already. I'm sure of that."

"How...", the male started before his voice failed him. Coughing, he tried again, "How can you be sure we just haven't found her yet?"

Hotaru just let out a sigh, knowing what he was feeling all too well. "Because I was always supposed to awaken last... The Senshi of Saturn only awakens when all else fails. Akana would have awakened before me, and if she _had_ been awakened, she would have been drawn to Usagi like the rest of us."

Seeing the look on Mamoru's face, she tried to comfort him, "I know what you're going through..."

She got no farther as the Earth prince snapped back, "How!? How could you know what I'm going through right now?!" This caused Hotaru to flinch back and Usagi to grab tighter on to her boyfriend's arm. He saw the pleading in her eyes and let out a sigh before apologizing, yet again, to the youngest Senshi.

Everyone else just watched and listened, enraptured by what Hotaru was saying, "When I awakened, I was feared as the 'Bringer of Silence'. They sent me far away to train, which made everything harder, since there was no Elder Saturn. Everyone was terrified of me, of what I could do, all except Serenity, the other Senshi... and my brother."

Saying that, a bitter smile appeared on her face as she continued, "The real irony in all this was, they had sent me so far away to train that when the attack actually happened... there was nothing I could do. The Silver Millennium passed away because it was afraid of the very person who could save it."

Silence reined over the group at that for a minute until it was broken by an unlikely question, "You had a brother?"

Hotaru sighed as she looked over to Minako and her question. Sadness filled her as she spoke, "I had many sisters... but only one brother. His name was Kanma and he was one of the only people who never flinched while talking to or of me after I became Saturn." Saying that, she looked over to Mamoru, locking his gaze, "I know what you're going through because, if I didn't know any better, I'd swear that girl was my reincarnated brother..."

A voice came from their feet, as Luna spoke up once again, "Why do you think that, Hotaru?"

The girl smiled for a second as she looked down, addressing the cat, "You probably wouldn't understand, but it was something to do with the way she handled that hammer. Kanma was a master smith and loved using hammers. He used to say that the pounding let him relax..." She gazed into nothingness a sad look in her eyes, "She looked so much like he did... but I gave up hope for him a long time ago..."

"How can you be so sure?", Usagi asked, tender in her question towards the girl. She hadn't taken her hands away from Mamoru since the beginning of the conversation and for some reason, she could feel the loss of him and how it would tear up inside. "My mother sent a lot of people to the future when she sealed Metallia away... How can you be so sure your brother didn't make it?"

Hotaru looked over to the twin pony-tailed blonde for a second before speaking, "Back then, every planet had their own population. The planets were made habitable because of your mother's crystal, the Ginzuishou." Taking a breath, she continued speaking, "I was on my way back to report on my training when I found everything on Saturn completely destroyed... without my help."

"Not long after, your mother sealed Metallia, setting us all up for rebirth, but...", she stalled, looking up at the sky with a defeated smile of resignation on her face, "everyone on Saturn was dead before that happened. There's no way my brother survived, even with his own magic, long enough to be sent to the future."

Everyone stood silent out of respect for the information they were given. Looks of sadness and sorrow were given to the girl as she wiped her eyes. "That's how I know what you're going through, Mamoru..."

He felt like a heel at hearing that... Looking down at his princess, he saw her nod and pull away, giving her approval. A second later, he moved over and gave the young girl a comforting embrace, one that only two people in their situation could have, as she finally broke down into his chest. "I'm sorry...", was all he could say... there wasn't anything else he could.

oOo

Hopping off the final roof and down to the streets, Akane and Ranma looked around, making sure no one followed them from the station or saw them hop down. "I hope you don't plan on doing that all the time, Ranma", his wife warned, "We don't need that kind of attention."

"I know what you mean, Akane, but it's odd. In Nerima, me and the others used to destroy a lot of stuff in our fights. No one ever looked twice, there."

"Oh, they did look twice, sometimes three times", she replied. "They were just too afraid to do anything about it."

Ranma let out a thoughtful sound but dropped the conversation as they soon arrived at their destination. There in front of them stood the walls and gate to the Shinto shrine, where Rei was waiting for them.

"Well, shall we enter?" Ranma asked, as he opened the gate for his wife. She blushed a bit at the manners he showed as she took his hand and let him guide her though the gate before he closed it behind him.

End of Chapter 3

oOo

A/N - Yama-sen-ken techniques from the manga:

Mouko Kaimon Ha - Fierce Tiger Crashing Through Gates: Right after shouting "Don't move!" very loudly, Ryu strikes at Ranma, throwing both arms in a curving motion away from him (a bit like pushing through two doors) and kicks him at the same time.

Kijin Raishuu Dan - Demon God Assault Bomb:Ryu practiced the move on a 5m high solid rock/metal Buddha, breaking it into large slices with thrown Ki-blades formed by pulling his hands away so fast that they form a vacuum. It was Ryu's favorite attack.


	4. Chapter 4

**Fated Pasts, Chaotic Future**

A Ranma ½ and Sailor Senshi crossover Fanfic

Written by: Konsaki

This Fanfic was inspired by and uses source material from 'Lines of Destiny', a dead Fanfic created by Louis-Philippe Giroux.

oOo

A cloth bag holding hung from the hand of the brown haired woman who strode down the street. Sticking out the top were a few stalks of green which betrayed the produce held within; the latest purchase to supply her hobby of culinary excellence. Makoto loved to cook and was looking forward to the smells and tastes that these materials would combine to create later that night. Still, the look of happiness she wore, while not false, wasn't one to tell the whole story.

A look into her eyes would show a glint of malcontent behind the overlaying layer that showed a happy teenage girl. Most wouldn't notice and the few who did couldn't figure out why the beautiful female felt that way. Had she not hid it well from her friends, though, they would have figured it out in quickly… Kino Makoto was restless and bored.

Though she would never admit it to her friends and team mates, the green eyed beauty missed the late night calls to action. The secret life of the girl was one of action and excitement, as she and her sisters in arms fought tooth and nail to keep the world safe from otherworldly or extra-dimensional beings. At least, that's what she would have been doing if it weren't for the fact that all the youma and other enemies they fought had dried up after the last campaign to take over the world.

Makoto let her smile drop for a second into a pout as she thought about all the stress she was able to rid herself of using her Sailor Jupiter persona. Before then, she had been notorious for being expelled from different schools due to the fights she had been in routinely. She prided herself on the fact that she hadn't let herself regress back to that, she was more mature now and knew other ways to sate her aggressive nature… Still, that didn't stop her from hoping for another attack so she could feel the excitement and thrill that only flinging magically charged lighting at youma's can produce; though she'd never admit it to her friends…

Shaking her head slightly, with a grin, the auburn haired high school student pushed those thoughts from her head. Striding onward towards her apartment, she glanced at a passing clock. 'Hmm… Mamoru probably arrived at the station already', she thought to herself. Grinning a bit wider, she saw an image of Usagi crashing into her boyfriend in her mind.

As soon as that passed, though, she let out a wistful sigh. When she heard Rei's cousin was a martial artist, her imagination was running wild. A smile adorned her lips which matched her sigh as she unlocked her apartment door, entered and set about putting away her purchases. Her wild imagination was quickly reigned in and locked down when she found out he was coming with his wife. 'Yeah… those ideas and dreams nosedived into the dirt pretty quickly', she wryly thought as she put away the last of her food stuffs.

After a quick laugh at her own situation, she locked up her apartment as she set out again. A few excuses went through her mind as to why she was headed to the Hikawa Shrine that her friend Rei lived at, but she really wanted to see what her cousin looked like. If she let herself go to the fantasy, she could conveniently forget that he was taken… or so she deluded herself as she waked the familiar streets.

It wasn't long later when she turned the last corner towards her destination. Even as she saw the gates to the shrine, her eyes were drawn to a black haired man who wore it in a shoulder length braid. The red Chinese shirt he wore contrasted greatly with the loose black pants he wore, but there was no escaping the look in his eyes as he pushed open the gate. The hand he held out to the woman with him left Makoto no question as their relationship as he escorted her through the gate even as the brown haired senshi approached.

With the last flash of the two, Makoto saw the suitcases they both held as they walked through the gate. 'Maybe _that_ was Rei's cousin…', she thought as she walked to the distance to the gate.

oOo

The gate closed behind Ranma with a deep wooden thud that only old wood can produce. The knowledge of that flashed through his head in an instant then was disregarded is inconsequential by his analytical mind. Instead, he chose to focus momentarily on his wife as her eyes wandered over the area, the sight producing a grin from his face. A second later, he himself was following his wife's lead.

"It's so serene", Akane breathed out as she looked about before finally laying her eyes on the shrine itself that sat at the top of good set of stone steps.

"Yeah, you ain't kidding", her husband agreed with a nod. "Let's see what's up top", he suggested, offering his arm with a smile. The woman beside him smiled back as she held on to it, both moving up the stairs at a relaxing pace, still looking around as they ascended.

As the pair reached the top of the steps, they saw the shrine before them. After another few silent moments, in which they looked about the new area, Ranma set down his suitcase to the swept ground. Putting his right hand to his face, the martial artist called out, "Oi! Rei! Are you here? It's me, Ranma!"

His dark blue haired wife just shook her head as she let out a sigh. Her husband had changed a good bit over time, but he was still Ranma. She put on a smile, though, as she noticed someone exiting the building before them.

The figure that stepped towards them was easily noticed to be a girl not much younger than themselves. Her long raven colored hair that ran to her waist was tied back in a traditional manner which matched the Shinto shine maiden's cloths she wore. Wide eyed, she stopped a few feet away, "Ranma?" Her eyes blinked a few times before she continued, "Is that you?"

The black haired man turned to the yellow dressed woman beside him, while scratching the side of his head. "Didn't I just yell my name", he lightly asked, earning a quick light elbow to the ribs. "Err, I mean, yeah. Don't you remember me, Rei?"

The priestess before the married couple had to stifle a giggle and resorted to a smile instead. Putting her hands to her hips though, she shook her head slightly, "Sorry, Ranma. It's been a really long time." She moved her hands before her into a proper bow while saying, "Welcome to the Hikawa Shrine."

While Ranma bowed in turn, he responded with, "Thank you for the hospitality." As they all rose from their bows, Ranma smiled wildly as he indicated the woman beside him, "Rei, let me introduce you to Saotome Akane, my beautiful wife."

"Thank you and your grandfather for the hospitality", his wife repeated with a smile and a slight bow of her own.

The girl before them waved it off, "Oh, it's nothing." Looking between the two of them, she cocked her head to the side slightly, voice betraying her curiosity more than her body language, "So, how long have you two been married?"

"Yesterday"

Ranma's deadpan response caught Rei by surprise, causing her to blink a few times. "I'm sorry, what?"

"The wedding was yesterday, Rei-san", Akane explained while giving her husband a look.

Giving a slow nod, the priestess thought about how Usagi and Mamoru were pretty much married already, just barring the actual wedding. Mentally shrugging, seeing that Usagi was younger than the pair before her, she outwardly smiled. "Well, congratulations to you both. Also, don't worry about keigo. We're family, Akane." After both females shared a smile, the red and white clad shrine maiden waved towards the building behind her, "Come on in, I'll show you the shrine grounds."

"Do you mind if I tag along on the tour, Rei-chan?"

Three sets of eyes saw the pony-tailed girl in a green dress, which showed her ample features, climb the last few steps towards them. The brown high-tied pony-tail flipped in the air behind her as she smiled towards the couple and priestess. "Mako-chan! What are you doing here", Rei asked in surprise as Ranma and Akane took a good look at the visitor.

Shaking her head a bit, she introduced her friend, "Ranma, Akane, this is Kino Makoto. She's a very good friend of mine." Makoto bowed politely at the end of that and the two from Nerima returned it in suit. After waiting for the three to straighten, Rei turned her friend and asked once again, "What are you doing here, Mako-chan? I thought you would go to the train station with Usagi and the others to meet Mamoru."

"I just got back from grocery shopping", she replied, "and by the time I was done, it was too late to go down there." A grin twitched her lips as she continued, "Besides, I'm sure Usagi was more than capable to welcome her boyfriend back even if no one else showed up." Looking over at the couple before her, Makoto asked, "I hope you're trip was pleasant."

"The trip was fine", the pig-tailed martial artist replied, giving a shrug. "There was a fight at the station, but nothing really happened."

Rei looked a little surprised to hear that, "What kind of fight?"

Before Ranma could answer and show off the Saotome-foot-in-mouth technique, Akane jumped in, "Someone just stared a scuffle and got kicked out of the train station." For some reason, her feelings told her not to talk about the monster. She figured it might upset Rei and her friend to know about it. 'Besides, I'm not lying to them, I'm just not telling the whole story', she told herself as she subtly pinched Ranma's arm while holding onto it.

Giving his wife a questioning look out of the corner of his eye, he added on, "Yeah, nothing I couldn't have handled if it had come down to it." He flashed a confident grin at his cousin when he saw the look of worry on her face.

"So, you think you're that good of a martial artist?"

Ranma turned his head towards the brunette while his wife just let out a sigh, "No, I don't _think_ I am, I _know_ I am." The attitude he gave of was one where if he told her the sky was green with purple clouds, Makoto would have had to look to make sure. His voice sounded that solid with confidence.

Seeing the look on Rei and her friend's faces, Akane sighed again, "Ranma _is_ good, but he also has an ego problem as well." Ranma let out a snort at the last bit of his wife's rebuke.

Letting out a light nervous laugh, Rei waved back to the building behind her once again, "Well… shall we start that tour of the shrine?"

"Lead the way", the wedded pair chorused.

A giggle broke out as Makoto mused, "Replies in stereo? Wow, you two _definitely_ were made for one another." Seeing the slight shade of pink that grew on the married couples' faces, she had to put a hand to her mouth to contain another bout that was about to escape. The Senshi of Jupiter had to let out a mental sigh though as she noticed them clasping hands a second later though. 'Akane sure is lucky…', she heard in her head as she observed.

When Akane and Ranma felt each other hands and clasped them in unconscious response to the Kino girl's statement, they looked to each other and shared a small nervous smile. They would have to get used to comments like that, eventually. Right now, though, the comment surprised them both, not only because it came from a relative stranger, but because said stranger was a younger girl, despite her physical appearance.

Seeing the interaction between her cousin and his wife caused by her friend's comment, Rei raised an eyebrow. "You'll have to excuse Makoto… She's an incurable romantic."

"Hey", her taller friend almost cried indignantly before drawing herself up, "I'm just searching for my soul mate, that's all."

A quick roll of the eyes followed from the priestess, "Yes… a soul mate who happens to look like your old sempai…" The comment received only a frown and a light glare from Rei's friend as she decided to remain silent. Seeing this, Rei's lips twitched upward at the very corner, but quickly mastered it before it showed. "Alright, let's give you that tour."

Picking up his bag, Ranma and Akane followed their cousin while Makoto followed along. The quartet went from here to there in the shrine grounds. Eventually, they all stopped in a small courtyard held between the building walls. Looking around at the open area, Ranma could just see the ghosts and images of himself performing moves and katas all over the area. "Hey, Rei", he started, gaining his cousin's attention, "What time you usually wake up?"

"Around six in the morning", she responded, "I have duties to perform around the shrine before I leave for school." Giving a questioning look, she asked back, "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was wondering if there would be any problems if I used this area to practice my martial arts each morning." A grin flashed a moment later, "I got to keep in shape, even if I'm going to be going to the university."

Smiling, Rei's words entered his ears, "I don't think there would be a problem, Ranma. I'll have to ask Grandfather about it, but I don't think he'll mind."

Ranma matched her smile, but after a second, he returned to a more thoughtful pose, "Where is Grandpa anyways?" He quickly glanced around as if expecting him to appear from behind a rock or tree at that moment.

"Oh, he and Yuuichiro left yesterday to visit another shrine outside the city. An old friend of grandfather wanted him to bless their newborn granddaughter. They should be back tomorrow or the day after", Rei easily replied.

"Okay… so, who's Yuuichiro? He your younger brother or something", the red shirted male inquired.

Makoto had a laugh escape before she could bring a hand up in time. "Or something would be right."

Shooting a quick look at her brown haired friend, Rei calmly replied, "Yuuichiro is an apprentice who also lives here. He works with grandfather and helps out." With that, she led the group to a stop at a door inside the shrine compound. "Anyways, here's the final stop of the tour, the guest room." Scratching the side of her head sheepishly, she added, "I guess I should have brought you here first, so you could drop off your luggage… sorry."

"It's alright, Rei", Akane waved off the apology with a smile. Ranma nodded with a grin, "Yeah, it's no problem. I'll just go get them real quick. Be right back." With that, he gathered the bags from outside and was back to his wife's side. Seeing him carrying the two bags effortlessly, Rei blinked but opened the door to the guest room.

As Ranma walked in, followed by Akane, they noticed a good sized room where two futons were set up recently. As Ranma placed the luggage down on the side of the room, he heard Makoto behind him, "You two sure don't seem to have a lot of luggage for two university students. Especially ones who want to live in an apartment."

"We only brought basic stuff for a few days", Akane answered with a grin, "Once we find an apartment, we'll have our families send the rest."

"Well, until you find an apartment, you both are more than welcome to stay here. Sorry to say, this is the only guest room, though. I hope you don't mind bunking together while you are here", the raven haired girl said in an apologetic tone.

Ranma and Akane just looked at each other and blinked a few times. While a grin grew on her husband's face, Akane turned towards the priestess with a confused expression, "Why would we mind, Rei? We're married, remember?"

Being reminded of this caused Rei's cheeks to flush over into a pink color as she nervously replied, "Oh yeah… Sorry, I kind of had forgotten that till you reminded me…"

Seeing the Senshi of Mars like this caused a wicked gleam to appear in Makoto's eyes. 'It's not every day that you get a golden chance to pay Rei back', her mind considered. Turning towards her target, she put a finger to her mouth, "You know, Rei, maybe you should have set up the futons closer together. After all, they _are_ newlyweds…"

Rei's previously pink face suddenly flared bright beet red at the possible implications of her friend's statement. Jerking her head to the side, she saw said newlywed's faces also turning red. Seeing their response, she quickly panicked and jumped to conclusions, "No, please! Don't do that here!" Seeing all eyes jerk to her and her mind catching up to her mouth, she could have just died of the embarrassment, "I mean… ah…" It all died off in a stuttered mess.

To the side, the pony-tailed female couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing at her friend's predicament. "I'm sorry, Rei. I just couldn't help myself", she said through the laughter as she wiped at her eyes. Looking at Akane and her husband, she explained, "Seeing Rei squirm is a rare sight. I just couldn't pass the chance up, sorry." Silently, she added, 'Not to mention that this is payback for making fun of my sempai…'

After a moment, Akane coughed politely, "Yes, well, speaking of… that, maybe we should go out apartment hunting while it's still light out, ne Ranma?" She finished it up with a slight tap of her elbow into her husband's side.

It still took him a second to blink the glazed look out of his eyes and quick shake his head, "Uh? Oh, yeah, apartment hunting. Sounds good." Giving his head another quick shake, he placed an arm around his wife's shoulder as they walked out the room. "We'll try not to be too late getting back, okay", he said over his shoulder before they turned the corner and headed outside.

As soon as she was sure they were out of hearing range, the raven haired girl whirled on the brunette, hissing, "Makoto! What on Mars possessed you to do say something like that!?"

"Calm down", Makoto said, patting the air slightly, "It's like I told them; you need to relax, girl."

The Senshi of Jupiter was thrown off though as Rei's scowl quickly shifted to a smug grin, "Well, at least _I'm_ not the one who's going to pass off as a sex craved maniac because of that little stunt."

Once Makoto's mind quickly processed that, she just dropped her head, placing a hand over her eyes. "Great…"

oOo

Not far away, just out of hearing range from the two females, Akane shook her head while she massaged her temple a bit. "Your cousin has some _very_ weird friends, Ranma", she commented wryly.

"Yeah", her husband agreed, lowering his arm from her shoulder. "I'm just starting to see that", he said before letting out a quick laugh, "Maybe Nerima wasn't so bad after all…" Shrugging it off, he noted, "Whatever. We'll only be there for a couple days, right?"

"Yes, that's true", she agreed, with a slight nod.

The pair walked for a bit in silence before Ranma spoke up again, "Hey, Akane. Why'd you want me to keep quiet about that monster we took out at the train station?'

Looking up at her husband out of the corner of her eye while raising an eyebrow, she responded in an even voice, "Ranma, what do you think would happen? Rei is a Shinto priestess in training and we don't even know if she believes in monsters. Besides, she probably has enough problems of her own than having to worry about monsters going after her friends."

Listening to his wife, Ranma nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I can see that…" Then he let a slight frown twitch his lips as he continued, "Switching topics, why'd you have to tell her I have an ego problem? You know I'm good, Akane."

"But you do have an ego problem, my lovable baka-kun", she replied, giving him a smile.

The raven haired male smiled back down at his beautiful wife, "And you still can't cook, my Kawaiikunee-chan."

They chuckled at the inside joke of their old relationship as she leaned into his shoulder. A moment later, he tenderly entangled his fingers into hers and they clasped hands as they walked down the road. To the people they passed, there was no question what their relationship was… and that didn't bother the Saotome couple one bit.

oOo

Elsewhere in Juuban, a trio, plus a talking moon cat, had just finished walking towards Mamoru's apartment to drop off his luggage before they continued on to Rei's shrine. While they made their way there, Hotaru had broken off to accompany Minako to her own house to pick up Artemis. There was a quick brief over what happened at the train station, bringing the mooncat up to speed. Eventually, they all met up at the well known shrine the group used at times for a base of sorts.

Once they gathered at the gate, they entered at the same time and climbing the stairs towards the shrine itself. Reaching the top though, they were greeted with the sight of a smug looking priestess and a flustered looking green clad brunette. Raising an eyebrow, Ami asked, "What happened to you two?"

Thinking quickly, Rei decided that the less details the better in this situation, "Makoto wanted to embarrass me in front of my cousin, but she ended up embarrassing herself instead." She concluded her quick explanation with a slightly wider smug grin while crossing her arms under her breasts. This caused Matoko to throw a frown at the priestess, which she easily and pointedly ignored.

"Your cousin is here", the blue haired girl asked, looking around. After a moment, she continued in a lower voice, "Maybe we should gather elsewhere while they are staying here. We have… serious business to discuss."

"Don't worry", Makoto started up, using it as an excuse to get out of her funk, "he left to go apartment hunting with his wife."

"That's right! Ami-chan told us he was married at the station", Usagi squealed out. She then leaned into her boyfriend, "How romantic… Aren't you eager to get married, too, Mamo-chan?"

The tall male she was leaning into was lost in his own thoughts as she talked to him. Distracted as he was, Mamoru replied offhandedly, "Yeah, yeah, can't wait…" Fortunately for him, his younger girlfriend only heard the message and not the tone. While she looked dreamily into the future and heard wedding bells, he heard Minako ask, "Have they been married long?"

Rei shook her head in the negative to the question, "Actually, no. Turns out they just got married yesterday."

What the priestess just said knocked everyone back on their heels for a moment. "And it's registration tomorrow, too", Minako commented. She just shook her head, "What a way to spend your honeymoon…" Upon hearing this lamenting statement, Rei and Makoto found various interesting things to look at around the shrine entrance. Thankfully for them, before the girls could ask any of the really interesting questions, there was an interruption in the form of an impatient mooncat.

"Ahem!" All the girls and Mamoru suddenly took notice of Luna, who looked annoyed at the gathered humans. Seeing she had gathered their attention, she continued, "There are more important things at hand than the married life of Rei's cousin." The girls had the decency to look slightly sheepish at the chiding from Luna, but still held questions on that topic in their minds.

"She's right", Ami agreed, "We had a youma appear at the train station today while we were waiting with Usagi."

Hearing that, Rei and Makoto had strong reactions to that, though they were vastly differing by nature. While Rei looked shocked and widened her eyes, Makoto looked sullen and disappointed. "Damn…", she swore under her breath, "First youma attack in months an I miss it!"

A couple sets of nervous laughter were filtered over the air while a few others shook their heads at Makoto's exclamation. Ami, however, was unfazed by the brunette's outburst and continued on, "Well, it's not really the _youma_ that's needs to be talked about. It was so weak that any one of us could have taken it out by ourselves." Looking around at the group, she let it loose, "What really is interesting was more the fact of _who_ dispatched it…"

Makoto blinked a few times, broken from her sulking, "Wait a second… You mean you guys weren't the ones that killed it?"

Jumping on the chance to talk about the event, and the hunk she saw, Minako stole the spotlight from the blue haired genius, "We never had the chance to! All of a sudden, this superpowered hunk came out of nowhere and fought off the youma. He and some girl that helped him even stepped off the same train as Mamoru." She just about exploded at that point, "You should have seen him go! He used this crazy energy blade thing and cut off a couple of arms before getting thrown into a wall. The hurt youma tried to escape but the girl pulled out this hammer from nowhere and bashed it towards the super-hunk."

At this point, she sighed dreamily as she saw what happened next through rose colored glasses while speaking it out, "He looked so godly as he stepped out of the wall and then actually shot a… energy ball which finally killed the youma. You should have seen him move, Makoto! He practically disappeared whenever he attacked! It was unbelievable…" The hyperactive blond rattled off the rest of the event with the speed not unlike that of a auctioneer calling off bids.

As she finished, calling Makoto and Rei just interested would be like calling the Pacific a swimming pool. Raising an eyebrow, Makoto cautiously asked, "What did they look like?"

"The hunk had long black hair, tied back in a braid to his shoulders. The red shirt and black pants didn't look bad, but definitely had an exotic look… Chinese, maybe? The girl that was with him had short dark hair, a yellow dress and a blue blouse", Minako rattled off almost as fast, but slowed down when she saw the concentrated look Rei had.

Makoto had her head cocked to the side a bit, with a finger on her chin, "Hey, Rei… Doesn't that sound like…"

She never got farther as Rei burst out at a Minako, "Did you talk to them!? Did they say their names?!"

Seeing the shocked look on the blond girl's face, the other blond jumped in, "We didn't have a chance. As soon as they were through they just… disappeared. We tried to find them but…"

The position of Makoto's hand and head changed at hearing that, to be more on the line of introspection. "Actually, I think Rei and I have a pretty good idea of who your 'Superpowered Hunk' is… We cant be sure until later though", she admitted to the group.

Jumping in front of Luna, Artemis took his turn at questioning the youths, "Who do you think it is?" He ignored the glare he received from the female moon cat behind him.

"My cousin and his wife", Rei flatly responded, still thinking, "Ranma and Akane Saotome."

The response nearly knocked her off her feet as everyone, minus Makoto, practically yelled, "Your cousin!?" Once the gathered Senshi and Mamoru calmed down, the priestess continued, "Ranma and Akane look exactly as you described… They had mentioned there was a fight at the station, but why didn't they say anything about a youma?"

"I don't know", Minako said with a shrug. "But wait, it gets weirder… We found out that Mamoru had a sister in his past life! Guess what, she was even a senshi like us! Who would have guessed there was a Sailor Terra… Then there's Hotaru's brother…"

Rei and Makoto's minds were reeling from the rapid fire blows of information and revelations. "Whoa! Hold on, Minako!", Rei yelled out, throwing her hands up. "Wait a minute! There was a Sailor Terra? That's the first I've ever heard of it…", she admitted as she scrunched up her eyebrows, "Why haven't we heard about this before?"

The two moon cats looked noticeably uncomfortable at that question. Luna had conferred with Artemis earlier and they found it disconcerting that they both suddenly 'remembered' these long lost memories concerning Endymion's family. They really hadn't had time to explore the situation, but both moon cats knew it wasn't going to be a fun adventure.

Seeing the gazes of her human charges gradually looking down towards her and Artemis, Luna had a stroke of genius. Looking over to Hotaru, she asked, "Why don't you tell everyone what you told us earlier?" Hearing that, Hotaru and Mamoru each raised an eyebrow at the blatant attempt to shift attention away from herself and Artemis. Even knowing that fact, having the everyone else's eyes on the youngest Senshi left her to only let out a sigh and then start her tale… The rest of the girls listened with rapt attention.

End of Chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5

**Fated Pasts, Chaotic Future**

A Ranma ½ and Sailor Senshi crossover Fanfic

Written by: Konsaki

This Fanfic was inspired by and uses source material from 'Lines of Destiny', a dead Fanfic created by Louis-Philippe Giroux.

oOo

As the afternoon sun was dipping down towards the horizon, edging ever closer towards being called an evening sunset, a frustrated couple was making its way down a street in another section of Juuban. As the pair passed others along the street, smiles were flashed as the other pedestrians saw them holding hands, but some questioned the look on the young man's face. Any that did, quickly nodded once they noticed his other hand holding an apartment listing folded open with his eyes glancing downward at it.

The short haired woman beside him gave a slightly worried glance as he let out another low growl before flipping to the next page. "Finding a decent apartment doesn't look like it's going to be easy, does it, Ranma", Akane offered up with a glum tinge to her voice.

The taller pigtailed man beside her let out a low sigh before responding, "Yeah, seems that way..." After saying that, he gave the booklet in his hand a quick shake. "I mean, look at the prices of these places... forty to fifty thousand yen a month for a one bedroom apartment", Ranma questioned in an agitated tone before groaning. "I know our parents are helping us out for the first year, but after that, we're on our own", he continued, speaking his thoughts, "Mom called it 'practicing the art of financial management' before we take over the Dojo..."

Akane just rolled her eyes as she heard her husband mutter under his breath, "I wonder where they got the money... Probably Nabiki..."

"Anyway", the day old bride broke in, grabbing the martial artist's attention, "So what if we _do_ have to find jobs?" Seeing his blue eyes train themselves on her, Akane shrugged slightly, "It's not that bad, really, and besides, I'm sure there will be plenty of job offers posted at the university tomorrow."

Taking one last final look at the listing in his hand, Ranma tossed it into a recycling bin as they passed one in a nearby alleyway. The fact that nearby meant around ten meters away meant nothing to Ranma, as he continued the conversation as if nothing had happened, "Speaking of tomorrow, maybe we shouldn't stay up too late." Seeing the questioning look in his wife's eyes, he explained, "I want to wake up early to try and get some practice in before registration tomorrow."

"That sounds good", Akane agreed with a nod before forming a smile and asking, "Do you mind if I spar with you? I don't want to lose my edge either..." Her hand squeezed a little tighter onto her husband's as she continued with just a touch of ire in her voice, "And this time, I want it to be _real_ sparring, no one of those fake sessions where you hold back!"

Ranma grimaced and jerked away a little but his wife's hand clamped on his own kept him from jumping away. 'Great... she knows', he mentally groaned as he thought about how Akane had bugged him enough, after the Saffron event, to make him give in and spar with her... He would hold back during them though, knowing fully that he would seriously injure her if he didn't. Now that she let it known that she knew all along, things could get real ugly, real fast...

Frowning a little, the blue eyed male held up his free hand to ward off the coming storm as he told his wife, "Look, Akane, I just don't want to hurt you..."

"No buts, Ranma", she loudly replied, shaking a finger at him while piercing him with her gaze, "I need to get better if I'm going to run the Dojo with you when we graduate!" Seeing her husband's eyes flicker away for a split second, Akane resorted to her most powerful weapon in her debating arsenal. Putting up a very cute pout on her face, the young woman pleaded, "Please, Ranma..."

The quick change of emotions expressed by his wife threw Ranma's expectations, causing the chi adept to regress into a light nervous laugh as his resolve crumbled to dust. "All right, all right", he called out, throwing his free hand up in defeat, "you win! We'll spar for real!"

Ranma hated when she resorted to the tactic she just used, which she picked up sometime after they _really_ started dating, but seeing the smile that blossomed on her face forced his own lips to upturn in his characteristic grin. A moment later, Akane leaned up to kiss the man she married before whispering in his ear, "Thanks, Ranma..."

For the longest while afterwards, the pair just looked into each other's eyes, smiling in a way that broadcasted to all around that the two were in love. That is, they did so until a loud grumbling broke the air, causing Ranma to let out another nervous laugh and rub the back of his neck. Akane just giggled a bit before theatrically sighing with a sly grin on her face, "I guess the beast is hungry, isn't it?"

Ranma just grinned and nodded before saying, "Yeah... you mind?" His wife just smiled while shaking her head, changing their direction of walking to lead them towards a nearby yatai...

oOo

Back at the Hikawa Shrine, five high school girls, one middle school girl, a university student and two Moon cats were seated, having had an interesting, if only moderately informative, discussion about Rei's cousin and his wife. So far, the questions and theories have spanned from the two of them having technical gadgets to magic powers of their own to being sent to this planet as a baby by a warrior race of aliens to take it over... which Minako was quickly admonished for bringing up.

Very uncharacteristically, Usagi put some fingers to the sides of her head to massage her temples while suggesting, "Look, why don't we just ask him when he gets back?"

After quirking an eyebrow at her princess' actions, Makoto responded with a shake of her head, "He didn't say anything about his abilities when he spoke to Rei and me. Do you really think he'll tell us all about it if there are more of us asking?"

Usagi just put on a sheepish smile while admitting, "Well, it's an idea..."

Putting a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder, Ami told her, "Don't worry, Usagi. I'm sure we'll find something sooner or later."

While the reincarnated moon princess was getting consoled by the group's resident genius, Rei looked over to the only male present and asked, "So, Mamoru, you think Ranma might be your reincarnated sister from the days of the Silver Millennium?"

"I didn't say that", Mamoru replied back, quickly raising his hands in a defensive gesture, "at least not exactly... I did mention that he reminded me of someone, but it's Hotaru who made the connection." He closed his eyes and gave his head a shake while saying, "I don't even know if the person I've been dreaming about recently _is_ Akana... though, it would make sense..."

Seeing the man place his hand to his chin in thought, Rei looked over towards the youngest of the group in question. Hotaru just let out a sigh, "I find it hard to believe myself, especially since Akana wasn't supposed to have been sent with the rest of us to be reincarnated..." Giving an apologetic look towards Mamoru, the purple eyed girl said, "I hate to admit it, but it could just be a freak coincidence..."

Rei, upon hearing that, placed a finger to her lips while showing a pensive look on her face. After a second, she turned her head to look at Ami and asked, "Ami, your computer was built in the days of the Silver Millennium, wasn't it?" She continued after seeing the girl in question nod, "Might it have a picture of Akana somewhere on it, then?"

The Senshi of Mercury raised an eyebrow at that question, "Maybe... I'll see if I can come up with anything..." A moment later, she had what looked like a very thin laptop out, typing away at the keys.

Nodding at the response she got from her friend, Rei turned back towards Hotaru, "So along with thinking Ranma might be Akana, you say Ranma's wife looks a lot like your brother from the Silver Millennium..."

"Yes", the younger girl replied with a nod, "she looks a lot like Kanma..." Gaining a faraway look, Hotaru added, "Especially when she wielded her hammer against that youma..." She let out a sigh with a shake of her head a moment later, "But Akane can't be Kanma, and neither can Ranma be Akana, because I know my brother died before the final assault on the Moon and we'd have known already if Akana had been reborn."

Makoto let out a growl in exasperation, gaining some attention, "Kanma and Ranma, Akane and Akana!" Waving a hand around, she asked, "Is it only me or does anyone else here think this is just a very weird coincidence?"

"Is it even a coincidence to begin with", replied Minako, who arched an eyebrow.

A little bit away from the blond, Hotaru looked a little disturbed within her own thoughts while Luna stepped in front and sat before the girl. Trying to keep some hope alive, the cat asked up, "How can you be absolutely sure your brother died on Saturn?"

With a wistful sigh, the girl responded, "Kanma used to correspond with me almost every day... it didn't matter where I was, he'd always find a way." A tear rolled down her face, to be wiped away a moment later, "His messages stopped sometime before the final days of the Moon Kingdom... roughly around the same time as the first youma invasions began." She looked to the ground as she said, "The Saturn Palace was among the first things destroyed. If he _had_ survived, he would've found a way to tell me, I'm sure of that."

Even hearing that, Luna didn't look too convinced. She just thought that there were just too many factors that could have happened to allow her brother to survive long enough to be sent forward with Queen Serenity's final actions. Mamoru was feeling the same way, as he asked, "What about Akana? If she _is_ dead, why would I be having dreams about her now?"

Hotaru just gave an apologetic look to the man, "I'm sorry, I don't know." Shaking her head, she theorized, "Maybe you're just reliving memories of your past life. All I know about Akana is that she disappeared not long before the final assault." Letting out a sigh, she averted her gaze, "She probably died at the same time as my brother."

With that, the young girl stood up, brushing the back of her skirt slightly, "Mamoru... The only one who could give you a more complete answer would be Akana herself... I'm sorry."

Seeing he would get nothing else out of the girl, Mamoru directed a questioning gaze at the black cat nearby, who read his motions easily. "I'm sorry, Mamoru", Luna said regretfully, "Despite the fact that Artemis and I have, somewhat suddenly, recovered some memories concerning your sister, we don't know much more about her disappearance than Hotaru does."

Mamoru's mood dropped even as Usagi rubbed one of his shoulders with a caring hand. Before she was able to say anything to reassure him, Ami's voice broke out, gathering everyone's attention, "I think I've found something!" Just as she said that, she jerked her head up to notice almost everyone jump to their feet. Blanching a bit at the thought of everyone trying to push their way to look at the Mercury computer's small screen, she called out, "Just a second, let me do something so everyone can see all at once!"

Before anyone could ask what she meant, a foot tall rotating image appeared over the computer and started slowly rotating in place. As everyone looked at the image of Mamoru's sister floating in the air, Minako breathed out, "Since when can you do that?"

"Only since recently", Ami answered with a sheepish grin, which faded quickly, "I found out by accident while I was using it a while ago."

"A very fortunate accident", Mamoru said, his eyes wide as he finally was about to see his sister outside of his dreams.

oOo

Elsewhere in Juuban, Ranma and Akane were slowly making their way back to the Hikawa Shrine. They were in no rush, slowly walking down the side streets at an easy pace, just enjoying each other's company while talking about what they each hoped for during their coming time in the university. Eventually, Ranma's good string of luck during the day finally flipped to the other side of the coin, when a sudden squall moved in from the bay. Caught out in the middle of the street, Ranma had no way to escape the cool rain as it triggered his curse. Fortunately, the street was pretty empty and no one seemed to notice the man become a rather buxom redheaded woman.

"I _hate_ when this happens", the damp girl growled out as she adjusted her pants to better fit her slimmer waist. After adjusting her cloths, Ranma shook a fist skyward. Almost in retaliation, the rain picked up a little more as everyone else on the street scrambled towards cover or their destination.

"Come on, Ranma. Let's get out of the rain", Akane urged, "It's not like we can go back to the shrine until it stops anyways."

"Yeah, don't I know it", the redhead dryly replied while getting more wet as the seconds passed. Quickly, she grabbed her wife's hand and dragged her towards a small café she saw. "Let's wait out the rain there, okay? If my cloths get too wet, even hot water won't work, since my cloths will turn me right back."

Akane nodded and they quickly sprinted into the café. While being almost pulled along by her now female husband, Akane examined the redhead's figure and how it had changed over the past year. No longer was Ranma's female body as short as it used to be. Over the year, she had had a massive growth spurt, putting both forms at the same height. The spurt affected both forms, but in different ways, as the change in his male form only left him looking a bit more mature. Her female form's face also matured, no longer looking like a young girl's anymore. Because of that and her new height, she looked like an eighteen year old young woman and looked even more stunning than before.

The only other major physical change that affected both forms was the characteristic pigtail that Ranma wore. Over the year, he had decided not to have it trimmed, causing it to hang town to below his shoulder blades and without curling up like it used to. Akane privately thought that the longer pigtail looked better when Ranma was in his female form than his male, though she never told him so.

When they finally stepped into the small café, causing a tinkling of bells at their entrance, the two noticed that, other than another couple who were sharing tea, Ranma and Akane were the only ones there. Of the other couple, the man was a little taller than Ranma, though he had short sandy blond colored hair, while the woman with him had turquoise hair that looked beautiful on her, which reached down to just below her shoulder blades.

Akane blinked while looking at the woman, trying to figure out where she had seen the woman before, the hair color tickling her mind but drawing nothing but a blank. She shrugged it off as inconsequential as she and the redhead made their way towards an empty table away from the other couple. When they sat down, the barista came by and took their order, a cup of tea each, before leaving them to their own low conversation.

"Ranma, maybe we should explain your female side to your cousin", Akane suggested in a low voice, as to not attract attention. "The way you attract water, it's going to be very difficult to keep your curse hidden..."

The pigtailed martial artist's lips turned into a scowl as she responded to her wife's suggestion, "I have no intention of explaining my curse to Rei, Akane, and that's final. I don't need her to think I'm a freak... besides, we'll only be there for a few days, remember? She doesn't have to know anything."

Shaking her head slightly, Akane looked into the blue eyes across the table, "That's definitely positive thinking there, but you know very well that you'll eventually get splashed at some point." A small amused smile formed on her lips, "You're a water magnet; those are your own words, remember?"

Even though the look on Akane's face showed amusement, Ranma's showed anything but and her wife could see it. Letting out a small sigh, Akane just shook her head once more, "Fine... If you really don't want her to know, then we could always go back and introduce you as my cousin 'Ranko'... it's not as if we've never done it before."

Ranma was obviously still malcontent as she replied in a resigned tone, "I guess it'll have to do..." A slight grin showed though as she admitted, "Well, your right about us having a lot of experience with me pretending to be someone I'm not." A giggle escaped her a moment later, as she mused, "I still can't believe that throwing on a dress and styling my hair could fool the others so much..."

The short haired woman just smiled as she shook her head, remembering a few of the times her husband was talking about. "Life was so crazy back then...", Akane mused as she held her warm tea between her hands. A nod of agreement was all she received back as the pair settled into a comfortable silence. As they sipped their tea, each of the women were reliving past memories with a small smile on their faces.

The peace and quiet they and the other couple were sharing inside the small café was shattered a few minutes later when the jangling of the door chime broke into the air. A conditioned reflex of his training and years in Nerima had the redhead flicking her sight over towards the door instantly. Almost instantly, what she saw caused her small smile to downturn, as four men strutted through the door.

The lecherous grins and the scruffy looking nature of their cloths gave their intentions away even before they split into two pair. Appraising and dismissing the quartet, Ranma barely took notice that two were headed her and Akane's way, even as the other two headed towards the other couple.

At least, the redhead dismissed them up until the pair walked up to the table she and her wife sat at, saying loudly, "Hey there, beautiful, wanna have a fun night tonight?" The ruffian was walking all over the buxom girl with his eyes, not having to wonder much at what was underneath the red silk shirt. The other man was eyeing Akane, but he too was stealing glances at Ranma out of the corner of his eye.

"Get lost before I break your arms, moron", Ranma replied to his advance, making a point to keep her eyes on her wife. Akane, who knew where this was going to go, just let out a barely audible sigh.

The man, though, was taken aback by the redhead's response. After a moment to gather himself, he kept on, regardless of her warning, "I know you want to have fun. I know of a really nice hotel nearby... the _special_ kind", he finished in what he deemed to be a suave voice.

As a continuation of his mental processing to pressure the girl into joining him, the man reached out a hand with the intent on placing it on her shoulder. It jerked to a stop when she suddenly turned her head and locked into his eyes with her piercing blues which glared strong enough to bore through reinforced steel, "If you keep this up, the only place you'll be going to is a hospital... Now get _lost_!"

The one nearby Akane snickered loudly at his companion's lack of success. His companion was also feeling the failure hit home, but chose to make one last attempt towards the girl. "Come on, I'll show you a good time...", he started, as he placed the hand onto the redhead's shoulder.

Any further lines he might have thought to use were flushed out of his mind as the girl's eyes flashed and her voice growled out, "I warned you..." Before either of the men could blink, her right hand came up to grab the offending appendage on her left shoulder, where she followed by squeezing and twisting... violently...

The sounds of several pops and snapping broke out into the air, followed instantly by a high pitched scream. The other man could only watch as the former fell to his knees screaming in pain while cradling his mangled hand. Before the howling of the man could become annoying, Ranma had the mercy to silence him via a quick chop to the side of the neck.

As the man crumpled to the floor into blissful unconsciousness, Ranma heard a heavy impact from the direction of her wife. Jerking her head in that direction, she saw Akane standing over her own crumpled male, mallet lying on her shoulder, while the side of the man's head looked rather flattened.

"I could have taken him, you know", Ranma told her in an even voice.

"True", Akane replied, before kicking the form at her feet with a disgusted look on her face, "but they were getting on _my_ nerves..."

Ranma just smirked at hearing the yellow dressed woman say that, but quickly reined that in when she remembered the other two hooligans who were at the other table. They had stopped their bothering of the other couple, choosing now to focus entirely on the redhead and dark haired girl. Behind the counter, the barista was quickly growing increasingly nervous over the estimated property damage that could become of the coming fight.

The staring match was instantly broken as one of the two men charged, yelling, "You bitch!" He ran straight at Ranma with fist cocked, as the other flicked open a knife and held it threateningly towards the other couple.

Seeing this, the redhead frowned and decided to end the confrontation as quickly as possible. In the next few seconds that passed, the man threw a haymaker towards the girl's head, intent on knocking her out in one blow. He didn't even have the time to look shocked as she flowed around the attack while grappling the arm and redirecting the momentum.

The only thing the man knew was he now had that arm locked painfully behind him, looking towards his companion as the redhead's voice spoke into his ear, "Take your friends and leave_now_, unless you want me to show you how creative I can get when I'm _really_ pissed!" To add emphasis to her statement, she tweaked the locked arm a certain way to cause intense pain but little damage to it, the success of which showed with a howl of pain from the victim.

She mentally sighed as she saw the fourth man start to move towards her and her captive, but quickly changed her reaction to a quirked eyebrow as she found she didn't have to make a move. The instant the man took his attention off the couple he had previously held his knife against, the blond man shot up from his seat and swiftly kicked it out of his hand to bounce away from the group.

The thug growled out as his plans shifted instantly to swinging around at the closer target, intent on punching the blonde in the face. The blonde simply sidestepped and deflected the clumsy fist with a quick wave of his arm before wrapping the thug up in a tight sleeper hold.

Seeing her companion had the situation under control, the turquoise haired woman calmly rose out of her chair, an easy smile on her lips, and addressed the two helpless thugs, "I suggest you take the nice lady's advice and leave before something really happens. Wouldn't you agree, Haruka?"

The blond man, still holding the thug tightly around the neck, grinned back widely, "Why of course, Michiru! You know I don't like violence any more than you do."

Ranma raised an eyebrow at the Haruka's conflicting statement and actions but quickly shrugged it off in favor of addressing the man who's arm was still painfully held by the redhead, "I'm giving you ten seconds to pick up your shitty friends and leave before I start getting angry. I strongly suggest you use your time wisely..." Finishing that, she released the held arm and shoved the brute towards his two downed companions, while Haruka performed the same with the other one.

Once released from their painful holds, they both spun to glare at the impudent redhead, the want to do bodily harm easy to see in their faces. One of them wasn't satisfied with just glaring and had the courage, or utter stupidity, to actually take a threatening step towards her. He stopped dead in his tracks instantly, as a wave of power washed over everyone present.

Knowing full and well that if she knocked the bastards out she'd have to haul them out onto the streets herself, Ranma chose to cross her arms before her even as a red glow surrounded her figure. All in all, the battle aura she flared into the visible spectrum was one of her weaker, but no one but Akane knew that and Ranma didn't feel like burning the chi required to put on a bigger light show. "You have five seconds left...", she informed the thugs, her voice almost visibly dripping with malice.

Taking one final look at the literally glowing redhead before them, the two thugs realized that they didn't want revenge _that_ badly, as it would probably be a suicidal move for the pair. They quickly decided that leaving with their companions would be more likely to increase their long-term health, especially before the time limit was up and Ranma had to follow through on her threat. Almost at the same time, they broke from their imitations of statues to gather up their downed friends and hastily made their exit from the café, flashing fearful glances behind them at the shapely illuminated female.

As they scurried out the door, dragging their unconscious friends with them, Ranma was seriously considering 'assisting' them in their exit by firing off a chi blast. Thankfully, for everyone involved including Ranma herself, she reined in those impulses and dissipated her fiery red battle aura. Letting out a sigh, she muttered in an irritated tone, "Idiots..."

On the other side of the counter, the barista blew out a sigh of relief at not having had _too_ much of a commotion inside his café. Seeing how the girl had defused such a highly charged situation, he decided to ignore the visual effects she had displayed just seconds prior.

Taking a quick glance at her wife and seeing her moving over, minus her mallet, Ranma turned towards the other couple and asked, "Are you two okay?" Seeing that neither of them looked injured, the redhead looked at Haruka and added with a grin, "You weren't too bad out there. You've got some nice moves..." She trailed off, hoping to have a name to place the man before her, having not heard it spoken during the altercation.

The blonde didn't fail to pick up on it and grinned back, "Tenoh Haruka", she said, indicating herself. "My lovely companion is Kaioh Michiru", she continued, placing a hand on the shoulder of the woman in the cream colored dress. Nodding slightly towards the redhead, she finished by saying, "Anyways, thanks for the compliment, but mine are obviously not as nice as yours."

Ranma's grin just grew at Haruka's words while she indicated herself and then her wife, "I'm Tendo Ranko and this is my cousin, Saotome Akane. It's nice to meet you both."

As soon as her husband introduced her, Akane stepped forward with questioning eyes, "Kaiou Michiru... the violinist?"

With a ghost of a smile forming on her lips, Michiru responded by saying, "Yes, I do play the violin every now and then..."

That was all the short haired girl needed to be almost overflowing with excitement as she exclaimed, "It's an honor to meet you Kaiou-san! I really like your music!"

The woman just blushed a little in response while a full smile graced her face, "Thank you very much, Saotome-san."

Beside her, Haruka was mildly miffed that she hadn't been recognized for her name, seeing that she played the piano alongside Michiru every now and then. Seeing the two women in dresses getting along in their own conversation, she decided to strike up her own with the fiery redhead. "So", she started up, gaining Ranma's attention, "Where did you learn _your_ moves?"

Ranma could hear the interest coming from the blonde easily and just shrugged as she replied, "Mostly my family's style. I've studied martial arts since I was old enough to walk, so I know a little of everything... as long as it has martial arts in it, I can do it."

"Just a little", Haruka questioned, raising an eyebrow, "From what I saw, you sound like you're being very modest, Ranko-san." Looking over the girl with an appraising eye, she informed the redhead, "I don't know many people who could even remotely move as fast as you, let alone generate an aura like you did..." Placing hand on her hip, she added silently, 'Well, except for the rest of the Senshi, of course.'

Not liking the route the conversation was taking, Ranma eyed the other fighter warily, "Anyone can get that fast with enough training and it's the same with the aura. I'm just very good at martial arts..."

Both of them eyed each other for a few moments after the redhead said that, both thinking roughly the same thing, 'Why am I getting these weird vibes from him/her?'

After another bout of examining the other fighter, Ranma broke into Michiru and Akane's conversation, saying, "Hey, Akane, the rain's stopped. Maybe we should head back before it gets too late..." Cutting off any question of why, Ranma added emphasis to her words, "We've got registration tomorrow, so we should turn in early."

Akane was a little annoyed by Ranma's interruption, but when she looked over at her husband she saw a beseeching look on her face. She was about to ask what Ranma's problem was, but curtailed that impulse and reluctantly turned back to Michiru and apologized, "I really enjoyed talking with you, Kaiou-san, but my cousin is right; we really should be going."

Disappointment flashed across Michiru's face momentarily, but she smiled as she said, "Oh well. I really enjoyed talking with you as well, Saotome-san. Perhaps we'll get another chance to talk again someday."

Akane just smiled and nodded, "I hope so..." With a quick bow, she and Ranma made their way towards the counter where Ranma was able to acquire some hot water in a to-go cup, free of charge for preventing any damage to the establishment.

As soon as they stepped through the door, Akane was surprised by the redhead's next words, "Let's move fast, I don't want them following us." Ranma stole a quick glance over her shoulder towards the entrance of the café as she quickly moved away, "That Tenoh guy 'bugs' me for some reason..."

Running at pace with her husband as they ran across the street, Akane glared at Ranma, "Well, if you'd have merely knocked out the idiots the old fashioned way instead of scaring him shitless with your battle aura, Tenoh-san probably wouldn't have 'bugged' you in the first place!" Following that, she let out a low growl, "Because of you, I wasn't able to do a good first impression with Kaiou-san!"

"Speaking of her, how do you know her anyways", the silken clothed fighter inquired.

Akane just drew herself up slightly in her response, "Some of us happen to like music, Ranma. Kaiou Michiru is one of the most talented violinists around." Wisely, Ranma chose not to comment any farther as she and her wife kept up the quick pace towards the Hikawa shrine.

oOo

Back inside the café, only moments after the wedded couple had left, Michiru and Haruka looked at each other and nodded in agreement over some silent conversation. Without saying a word, the turquoise haired woman placed some money on the counter before she and Haruka shot outside to follow Ranma and Akane. Their movement quickly halted when the door closed behind them and they found neither hide nor hair of the pair.

"Well, _that_ was interesting, huh, Michiru", the blonde said into the evening air while a frown formed on her lips.

Her reply was one of a half-lidded stare from her partner as she said, "It would have been even more interesting if you hadn't pressed Ranko-san for answers." Pouting a little, she complained, "I was starting to have a very interesting conversation with Akane-san..."

A few moments later, she sighed and let out a slight grin, "Maybe it doesn't really matter anyways..." Seeing the questioning look her lover was giving towards her, Michiru's grin evolved into an impish smile as she explained, "We have a _much_ better way of finding out the truth than trying to stalk them..." Haruka just continued to look confused as Haruka reached into her subspace pocket and pulled something out. Seeing what was pulled out caused the blonde to sprout a wicked grin...

There in Michiru's hands rested the Deep Aqua Mirror...

End of Chapter 5

oOo

A/N -

- Before any of you try and correct me, yeah I know Haruka's a girl. Has something to with the requirements of being a Senshi and a lesbian... Though both aren't always together... –flashes a grin-

Anyways, Ranma sees Haruka as a guy because he's dense like that. Remember that he thought that Konatsu and Tsubasa were girls and Ukyo was a guy until their true natures were reviled. Probably something to do with the fact that he swaps genders so much... –snickers under breath-

- As for why Haruka didn't bother Akane about her mallet... well, considering you had a glowing girl and a person with a mallet... who would you ask questions to? –raises an eyebrow-

- Can the Mercury computer really project holograms...? In this world, yeah it can. It's just something to make things easier than a huge fight to look at the screen.


	6. Chapter 6

**Fated Pasts, Chaotic Future**

A Ranma ½ and Sailor Senshi crossover Fanfic

Written by: Konsaki

This Fanfic was inspired by and uses source material from 'Lines of Destiny', a dead Fanfic created by Louis-Philippe Giroux.

oOo

"Wow... your're right, Ami", Makoto let out in a astounded breath, looking at the hologram floating before her, "She does look like a female version of Ranma!" Almost as an afterthought, she added in, "Well, except for the hair, of course."

Mamoru could only agree, as he viewed the slowly rotating vision from his past. Barring the hair color, Akana could easily have been confused as Ranma's sister. They shared the same basic looks, with the gender differences accounted for and discarded. The only real difference between the two was the fact that instead of the jet black that Ranma had, Akana's long locks were a fiery crimson shade.

Looking at the bright red hair for a few seconds, the college student blinked before correcting himself. Though purely cosmetic, there was another difference between the two. While Ranma had his hair bound in a long braid, Akana's picture showed her hair loose as it cascaded down past her shoulders to end just before her mid back.

Swallowing unconsciously, the man reached forward with a slightly shaking hand to touch the rotating hologram. The Senshi surrounding the image watched his efforts in vain, as his hand passed through the spectral girl, even as he tried to grasp her within his fingers carefully.

Even though he couldn't touch the hologram, it didn't stop him as he ran a finger across her miniature face as he whispered longingly, "It's her... She's the one in my dreams... Akana..."

Hearing the pure longing in her man's voice, Usagi felt a pang of jealousy stab at her heart. Just the thought of Mamoru dreaming about another woman raised her possessive hackles. The feeling came and went almost instantly, though, to be replaced by light guilt at feeling so, knowing the girl he was dreaming about was his own long lost sister. Blinking for a moment, something in her head pieced together a couple thoughts, though she didn't know where they came from. Turning towards her guardian moon cat, Usagi asked, "Luna, is there some chance that Ranma might be a Senshi?"

The question the sometimes scatterbrained leader of the Sailor Senshi asked caused the rest of the gathered fighters to jerk their attention towards the odango haired blonde. The sounds of quick thoughts at her feet caused their gazes directed towards Luna, who noticed them soon enough, letting out an uncomfortable look. "I don't think so, Usagi", she said, hesitantly, "The Senshi were, and still are, all women. Really, I never even thought about one of them being reincarnated as a man."

"Besides, I don't think he'd look very good in a Sailor fuku, Usagi-chan", Makoto broke in, with a deadpan voice. The unexpected comment caused a round of snickers to escape the group, as an image of the very male fighter in the Senshi's magical armor entered their brains. Unnoticed, Luna breathed a sigh of relief at the suddenly alleviated atmosphere.

After the snickering had died down some, the black haired priestess turned towards the resident genius, asking, "Hey, Ami... why haven't you come up with this picture before?"

Blinking at the question, Ami's posture shifted slightly to a more defensive one, replying in same tone, "Rei... it's not like I exactly had a reason to look for it before now..."

Any more of her words which she had been about to say were cut short as the small computer in her hands let out a few beeps. Looking down to it, the Senshi of Ice pressed a few buttons before looking up towards the group. "There are some people approaching the shrine", she declared, looking towards Rei in particular.

Rei's brow creased in thought before she gave a slight nod, "It's probably Ranma and Akane coming back." Thinking about her cousin, her eyes narrowed as the edges of her lips turned downward, "He owes me an explanation for the train station incident..."

"Whoa, hold it right there", Makoto broke in; holding her hands up in a stopping manner, "No need to go on the warpath, Rei!"

"I agree with Makoto", Ami said with a nod, "I doubt he lied in order to spite you... He doesn't exactly know you are a Sailor Senshi, so he was probably just concerned about how you would react." A small smile formed on her lips as she finished by saying, "I mean, how do you think he would react if you told him you fought youma in your spare time?"

Receiving the comments from two different directions, Rei's temper deflated some. "Alright, maybe you're right...", she admitted to her friends, "but I still want to know if he's as powerful as you described him to be. If he is, I want to know how he does it!"

The short haired genius of the group nodded in agreement, "So would I."

With that thought in mind, the gathered Senshi, plus two cats and a prince, turned their attention towards the front gates and waited.

oOo

As it was, the group inside the shrine didn't have to wait long. As their attention turned towards the gates in wait, Ranma and Akane were just turning the last corner and starting their walk down the street that headed towards the Hikawa Shrine. Once the married couple got close enough, at least for the redhead's impatience to assert itself, Ranma upended the cup of heated water over her own head. The change was near instant, the rippling of flesh converting the obviously female mounds into toned pectorals and other bits of mass flowing into a full male body; complete with a change from red to raven hair.

Throwing the now empty container in a nearby recycling bin, the man stretched out some. "Aaahh", he sighed with contentment in his voice, "It's good to be a guy again!"

Just like how the sun rises in the east and sets in the west on Earth, there are fundamental truths in the universe that one cannot escape. This is the situation caused by being cursed by Jusenkyo magic; those who return back to their original form and exclaim happiness will inevitably find themselves back in their cursed forms faster than if they hadn't. True to form, such was the case with a certain pigtailed warrior.

Ranma and his wife were no more than a few meters away from the gates to their destination when a scooter buzzed by them. More importantly, the scooter ran through a puddle left by the recent showers, spraying him with its contents. Feeling the unique feeling of changing genders, the redhead dropped her chin to her chest and sighed, "I hate my life..."

Akane let out her own exasperated sigh a moment later, realizing what had just happened, "Great, what are we going to do now? You just used all the hot water!"

Frowning a bit, the redhead look thoughtful before answering, "Well, you could go inside without me and bring some more out while I wait out here."

Looking not entirely pleased at the situation, the raven haired girl nodded slightly, "I guess it's as good a plan as any... I'll be right back."

Seeing a slightly embarrassed grin from her husband, Akane turned away and made her way through the gates. Barely three strides had passed before the martial artist halted dead in her tracks; before her stood a party of girls and a single man. That in itself wasn't anything to halt her quest for water, but the fact that each and every one of them were looking at her was. It wasn't even a casual glance that one would normal give to having someone enter a room, but a lingered examination of having expected someone to come through the threshold.

"Ano...", Akane started up, slightly thrown off track, "am I... interrupting something?"

Blinking out of her trance like state, Rei realized she and her friend had to have looked like starving loins waiting for the kill. "Oh, I'm sorry, Akane-san! I was just saying goodbye to my friends when we heard people near the gates", the long haired girl explained, indicating the people around her. Looking from the lone woman towards the gate behind her, she asked, "Isn't Ranma with you?"

Turning her head to glance slightly behind her, Akane's mouth quirked slightly, "Oh, he'll be here in a bit."

Turning her attention back towards the party before her, the brown eyes of the martial artist scanned over the group. It wasn't until her gaze locked on the shortest of them before she realized, 'These are the girls from the train station!' A quick flick of her eyes also told her that; yes, the man was also the one who sat across from her and Ranma during ride to Juuban.

'_Great_...', Akane mentally drawled, 'They're the only ones at the station who _really_ sat the fight... and they are friends with Rei, too.' She felt a little bit of nervous hope as she thought, 'Maybe they don't recognize me...'

"Well... don't mind me", she said out loud in a falsely cheery tone, "I'll just head on inside."

She had barely walked past the group, almost making to the stairs, before Rei's voice stopped her once more. "Akane-san, my friends told me that they saw you and Ranma were at the train station today... fighting monsters..." She could feel Rei's eyes narrowing at those last two words and continuing on into the next three, "Is this true?"

'Damn', Akane cursed loudly in her mind, thanking the Kami that her back was turned to the group so they couldn't see her wince. 'Looks like we won't be able to sweep this under the rug...', she acknowledged with a mental shrug. Not turning around, she answered the probing question as if she was talking about the weather, "Well, the attack was over quickly, so it didn't seem that important and you looked like you had better things to do than fret over a monster attack. Especially since no one was hurt."

Rei's eyes narrowed more at hearing her cousin-in-law's words, 'She's treating the attack as if it was a walk in the park!' Her following questions never even made it to her lips though. Even as her mouth opened up to voice her thoughts, the sound of the main gate opening derailed her interrogation instantly...

oOo

While this was happening, Ranma stood outside the gate, leaning against the wall. When she heard her wife being greeted by her cousin, the redhead winced.

'_Great_...', she mentally drawled out, unintentionally mimicking her wife who was thinking the same thing at the same time. 'Sounds like there's a lot of people in there. I hope she can snag that hot water quick.'

Ranma winced again as she heard Rei's question about the fight roll over the stone wall she leaned against. "I knew we shouldn't have kept that secret", the fighter hissed under her breath as she kicked off from the wall. "Now I've got to bail her out or she'll never get me that water..."

Even as she pushed open the overly large wooden gates to the shrine, Ranma's soprano voice rang across the area, "Hey, Akane, is everything all..." Her words trailed off into nothingness as she noticed the attention her entrance gained her.

Sure, Ranma had expected to get everyone's attention, since that was the plan; allowing Akane to get the water. What she didn't plan on was everyone staring at her, some with jaws hanging loose, like they were seeing a ghost or something. Blinking twice, the redhead wondered what was going on...

oOo

It took a second for Rei to kick start her brain after seeing the second person take her few steps through the gates to her shrine. When she did, the Senshi of fire finally realized just _who_ had stepped through. After blinking a few times, just to make sure she wasn't seeing things, the black haired miko slowly turned her gaze towards her companions. The reactions she saw on their own faces showed her easily that they saw what she saw... and recognized the person before them just like she had.

"Akana?"

Mamoru's voice broke the air, the three syllables cracking out like a gunshot in the silence. As the words reached the ears of the stunned youths, it broke them loose of their own trances.

"Umm... _She's_ Akane", the redhead replied a little confused while pointing behind them towards her wife, "I'm Ranko, her cousin."

The shortest of the group shook her head in response, saying, "He didn't say 'Akane'; he said 'Akana'."

Ranma's eyebrow quirked at what she heard, "Well, I'm neither Akane nor Akana... You've got the wrong person."

As she finished speaking though, blue eyes met with deep brown, as Ranma looked towards Mamoru. Time seemed to crawl to a stop while they locked looks, Ranma looking at the slightly older college student and Mamoru looking at the girl who looked eerily identical to his long dead sister from the Silver Millennium.

'It's the guy who sat with us on the train', Ranma thought, as she peered into his face. 'But who is he? Why does he look familiar?' As if to answer her own question, an image flashed in her mind; one of a long, forgotten memory. In it, a young man stood before her, clad in black and silver armor. A name to the image was just on the tip of her mind, her lips parting to say the name she knew so well. The moment was lost to the sands of time, though, as it vanished just as fast as it appeared. Blinking a few times in the confusion left over from the loss of the name she was just about to say, the martial artist shook her head to clear her mind.

"Are you ok, Ak... Ranko-san", Mamoru asked the young woman, quickly correcting the name.

"Yeah", Ranma replied, with a slight wave of her hand, though she kept her gaze locked on the male, "it's just that... for a second there, you reminded me of... someone..."

A young voice broke into the conversation, courtesy of Hotaru, uttering a one worded question, "Who?"

Ranma seemed to hear the eagerness contained within the one word and narrowed her eyes slightly. "And just _who_ arrr...", she started up before her voice failed her to a stuttering stop, eyes widening. As the girls and Mamoru watched, the redhead's visage grew to be one of pure, utter, unmistakable, unadulterated horror. In comparison, a nubile virgin faced with the countless writhing tentacles of a horny hentai demon hoard wouldn't have looked so horrified.

Six defenders of love and justice spun on their heels to face the threat, unconsciously reaching for their henshin rods. Expecting some great evil to have appeared, capable of rendering 'Ranko' frozen in fright without making a sound, the Senshi were confused when they saw the area barren save for the approach of Luna and Artemis, who had wandered out of the shrine. Currently, the two moon cats were mimicking the prior expressions of the Senshi when 'Ranko' wandered through the gates to the shrine; namely gawking with their jaws slightly ajar.

Failing to see any threat, the Senshi turned their attention back to the slightly stammering girl, who had since then raised her arm to point towards the direction behind them. They had just enough time to blink in confusion, as to why the redhead was afraid, before a great scream pierced the air, "C-C-C-CAAAAAATTTSSS!!!"

Before any of the confused observers could do or say anything, the terrified and panicked 'Ranko' bolted from the shrine, seemingly at impossible supersonic speeds. Behind them, the sound of running was heard as Akane came out of the shrine, steaming cup of water in hand. "What? Where!?", she asked, looking around furiously before spotting the two moon cats. Wincing, she muttered, "Great... just great..."

Looking from the empty space before the gate towards the muttering wife of her cousin, Rei asked in a perplexed tone, "Akane... What just happened?"

Pinching the bridge of her nose with her free hand, Akane thought about her response for a second, 'If those cats are pets, Rei might as well know the truth. Ranma will forgive me...' Nodding slightly, as if to reassure herself, the yellow dressed woman started walking towards the gate while saying, "Ranko had a training accident when she was young. As a result, she developed a pathological fear of cats."

Stopping before the open gates, she looked pensive for a moment but added, "Ranma doesn't like others to know, but he has the same fear. If you don't want him to freak out when he arrives, you might want to take those cats elsewhere." With that, she moved outside the gates and started running down the street after her cursed husband.

"Excuse me...", a voice from behind the group called up, the confused white moon cat gathering everyone's attention. "Could someone tell me what just happened here? Who was that girl who looked like Akana?"

Both moon cats were blown back a few inches by the force of all the Senshi plus Terran Prince talking all at once.

oOo

It was a couple of blocks of running before Akane was able to catch up to Ranma. When the woman found the pigtailed martial artist, the redhead was slowly banging her head against a wall, causing chips to fly loose from the loosening masonry. Seeing the look of pure embarrassment on her husband's face, Akane just rolled her eyes and approached the cursed fighter. "You won't be able to cure your phobia that way, Ranma", she informed her husband with a small smile.

Letting out a deep breath, the fighter stopped her assault and turned so she was leaning against the wall she had just defaced. Looking towards her wife, Ranma exclaimed, "Gods! It's just so embarrassing!" Holding her hands before her, she clenched them a couple of times while saying, "Do you even realize how foolish I'll look now? I mean, how am I going to explain to a bunch of high school girls, one of them my own cousin, why I freaked out by seeing a couple c-c-cats!?"

Akane just let out a small sigh, "I think you're overreacting to all this, Ranma..."

"Overreacting!? You're not the one who runs for the hills every damn time one of _them_ crosses your path", Ranma replied with a flat tone and half-lidded stare.

"Well... at least you don't have to explain it to them", the raven haired woman said, a slightly defensive look in her posture. A moment later, after seeing her husband's questioning look, she explained, "Just before I left to catch up to you, I told them about your phobia."

"You did _what_", Ranma almost screeched out, an incredulous look on her face.

"Look, if those cats happen to be Rei's pets, she needs to know so she can keep them away from you", Akane explained in a hard tone to keep Ranma from interrupting. "Besides, the other girls would have asked questions anyways, so I told them."

Grumbling under her breath the entire time, Ranma asked, "What exactly _did_ you tell them?"

"I only told them that 'Ranko' and you had a training accident when you were kids and that caused the phobia", Akane answered, knowing the response she was about to receive.

Ranma didn't disappoint as she let out a groan, "Why'd you have to tell them about being scared as a guy, too?" Seeing the silent half-lidded stare she received from the raven haired woman, Ranma tapped the back of her head against the wall behind her as she looked up into the darkened sky, "Right, right... I guess it couldn't be helped. They would have found out sooner or later, I guess..."

Closing her blue eyes for a moment, Ranma took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly as if cleansing her spirit. When she reopened her eyes, the redhead finally saw the slightly steaming cup still in her wife's hands. "Well, at least you were able to get the hot water", she admitted, smiling slightly towards the woman holding it.

"Oh, yeah", Akane said, handing the cup over, "It's not boiling, but it should be hot enough to trigger your change." A small smile grew on her lips as she mentioned, "I guess that's one good thing about all this; with everyone staring at you, I was able to get that without anyone noticing." Cocking her head slightly, the smile faded as she notice, "By the way, why _were_ they staring at you like that? They looked like they'd seen a ghost or something..."

Ranma shook the wetness out of his hair, fresh from the overturned cup of hot liquid. After getting most of it off, he shrugged his shoulders towards his wife as he replied, "Don't have a clue." He did take up a thoughtful look a moment later before asking, "Hey, Akane, you notice that the guy was the one sitting with us on the train?"

Akane nodded in silent answer before adding on, "and the girls were the ones you pushed me towards at the start of the fight at the train station."

Hearing that, Ranma just let out a light laugh, "Told you we shouldn't have tried to hide the fight..." Seeing the temper rising in his wife's eyes, he held up his hands, "Whoa, there. I know it's all hind sight and all that, Akane." Seeing his tactics failing, he tried a drastic change of topic, "Anyways, did you notice anything weird about the guy on the train? Did he remind you of anyone?"

Letting out one last breath of annoyance, Akane thought about her husband's question. After taking a second, she quirked her brow as she responded slowly, "No... not really. Why?"

The pigtailed fighter let out a breath as his lips twisted into a half frown, "I don't know why, but I can't shake the feeling that I've seen him somewhere before..." Shaking his head he added, "And it's not cause I've seen him on the street or something... I mean, we just met him today on the train for the first time, but it feels like I should remember him from way back..."

"Sorry", Akane supplied with a shrug, "He doesn't really remind me of anyone." Giving her own head a quick shake, "Now the girl with the purple eyes... She seems familiar to me for some reason." Hearing this, Ranma raised an eyebrow in silent question, but Akane only shrugged again.

After a few more moments of silent thought, in which they tried to 'remember' who those two were but failed to do so, they gave up. "Whatever", Ranma said in a tired tone, "We'll sort it out later, I guess. We should head back and face the inquisition..."

With a quick nod, Akane matched her husband's pace as they headed back to the Hikawa Shrine, carefully avoiding any sources of water...

oOo

Meanwhile, back at the Hikawa Shrine, there was a healthy crossfire of talk happening. After much confusion, having to sort through everyone talking at once, the two moon cats were finally appraised of the situation and were now having to deal with the fallout. Mamoru was still shocked at seeing the girl of his dreams, his long lost sister, appear out of nowhere and leave just as suddenly. The Senshi were just plain frazzled by the 'apparition of the past' but they were quickly overcoming it.

Now that they were pretty much calmed down and just waiting for the return of the two women and maybe the arrival of Rei's cousin, Artemis decided to confirm some information, "So she said she was Akane's cousin?"

The majority of the girls nodded in response, though Makoto answered by voice, "That's what she said before she bolted."

Slightly surprising the girls, Mamoru spoke up in a haunted voice, "I have to find her." Eyes turned to observe the Earthen Prince, Usagi especially, even as he continued by repeating, "I have to find her." He raised a clenched hand before him, though his brown eyes looked out towards the gate as his voice hardened, "She's my sister and she's alive! She has to be! Before Ak-Ranko took off, she said I looked familiar..."

Mamoru finally turned away from the gate, to give an accusing look towards the smallest Senshi present, "I thought you said she couldn't be alive in this time."

Being put on the spot by the much larger reincarnated male, Hotaru looked very uncomfortable. Her stuttered reply didn't help much to dissuade the look, "I-I don't know... I don't understand how...

"Mamoru", Luna broke in diplomatically, trying to take the pressure off the young Senshi of Saturn, "You realize that this might just be a freak encounter, right? She might not be your sister at all."

The look Mamoru gave the black moon cat could almost pass as purely hostile. Seeing the guardian feline take an uneasy step back, he forced himself to calm, if only a little before replying tightly, "Maybe... but I damn well intend to find out."

An awkward silence filled the small courtyard, until Minako broke it by taking the opportunity to change the subject, "I still don't really understand why she freaked out like that. I mean, it was just Artemis and Luna." Putting a finger to her chin, she turned towards the smartest of the girls and asked, "Do you really think a training accident could do that, Ami?"

Hearing the question from the blonde, Ami responded in a slightly lecturing tone, "Her case is very unusual. I've heard of cases where someone who was traumatized by an animal developed an irrational fear of that animal, but I've never heard of anything as severe as hers." Crossing her arms before her, she looked apprehensive, "If her fear _is_ due to a training accident, the trauma must have been extreme in magnitude in order for her to react that way. The best thing would be to ask her when she gets back."

"Do you really think Ranma has the same fear", Usagi asked, throwing her own question into the mix, "He sure didn't look afraid when he trashed that youma at the train station today."

Ami thought about it for a second before shrugging, "It's possible that his phobia is purely limited to cats. We would need to ask him directly." Looking from her leader to the two guardian cats, she said, "In the meantime, I suggest you two go hide until we find out for sure. We won't get _any_ answers if he runs away just like Ranko did."

Just as the two cats nodded and scampered into the bushes lining the walls, Makoto's voice rang out, "Well, speak of the devil..." Hearing that, everyone's attention turned back towards the shrine entrance just in time to see Ranma and Akane walk through it.

oOo

When the freshly married couple stepped through the gates, they found everyone still waiting. The girls, barring Rei and Makoto, looked surprised when they looked upon him, recognizing him as the one who fought the youma earlier that day. Even through that, Ranma noticed that the man who had called him 'Akana' earlier looked somewhat disappointed.

"Ranma, Akane", Rei's voice called out, "Did you find Ranko?"

Taking only a second to shake himself aware, Ranma replied quickly, "Yeah, we... ran into each other. She said she was headed home instead of taking another chance with the c-cats..." He let out a slight wince, not at saying the word but the fact that he couldn't help but stutter when saying it, "Uh... No offense, but are they gone?"

"Don't worry, they're gone", Rei quickly responded, seeing her cousin relax slightly at hearing that. "They are Minako and Usagi's pets", she explained with a wave towards the two blondes, who smiled sheepishly. Finishing that, the priestess gained an inquisitive look in her eyes, "If you don't mind, could you explain why you and Ranko are so afraid of them?"

Silently, the pigtailed martial artist looked over the gathered group of girls and guy. Letting out a slight breath, he slowly rubbed his forehead with the fingers of one hand before saying, "Before I tell you, none of this goes anywhere, understand?" He punctuated the demand with a piercing gaze, which lasted long enough to get nods from everyone present, minus his wife.

Turning towards Rei, Ranma started his explanation, "You know about how Pop trained me in martial arts when I was a kid, right?" Seeing Rei nod, he continued, "Well, he trained Ranko, too. When I was eight, Oyaji decided that I... I mean Ranko and I were old enough to learn a... special kind of martial arts. It's called the Neko-ken..."

Hearing the name of the technique, Ami made a mental note to look up anything surrounding that style. Makoto, on the other hand, was shaking her head at the thought that anyone would consider teaching a child a special martial arts technique at that age. Ignoring this, Ranma continued on with his explanation, "The Neko-ken was supposed to be an extremely powerful style... some called it invincible. Whether that's true or not..." Ranma just shrugged.

"Well, anyways", the martial artist said, pulling himself back on track, "Pop found a training manual for it. The training involved wrapping us from head to toe in fish sausage and dropping us into a pit filled with starving cats. The cats were so starved that they tore at us to get at the sausage..." The raven haired male unconsciously crossed his arms before himself while letting out a shudder, reliving the event in his mind.

Everyone else just let out a gasp at hearing this; all except for Akane, who gave her husband an understanding look and placed a comforting hand on his arm.

"But... That's insane", Ami yelled out, "What were you supposed to learn that way!?"

"I can't believe Uncle Genma would do something like that", Rei threw out at almost the same time.

Ranma's form and face hardened as he looked at his cousin, "Believe it, Rei! There's not a lot of things Pop wouldn't do if was to teach me martial arts. You wouldn't believe half the stuff I've been through..."

"It must have been horrible for you and Ranko...", Usagi broke in, trying to calm the situation, "but at least it only happened once."

Some of the girls could swear they heard the muscles in Ranma's neck working against each other as his head slowly turned towards the blonde leader of the Senshi. When it finally stopped rotating, the narrowed eyes and even tone of his voice ran chills up and down their spines as he said, "Who said he only did it once?"

He allowed the girls and Mamoru enough time to swallow the lumps in their throats before speaking up again, "When Pop realized just how scared we were of cats after that, he decided to try and _cure_ us..." Ranma looked like he wanted to spit on the ground at that, but held himself, "He tried to cure us by throwing us back into the pit again." Letting out a snort, he looked away from everyone, his voice losing all emotion, "All that did was make it more intense... and eventually... we snapped."

By then, the teenage girls were split between giving the traumatized man looks of pity and trying to keep from being ill. Even Luna and Artemis, who were still hiding in the bushes, were wincing with sympathy.

"You look sane enough to me...", Minako mentioned hopefully.

Those words had the other blonde of the group trying desperately not to smack her own forehead as she groaned out in her mind, 'Geez... and I thought I was the tactless one...'

Before any of the other girls could admonish the Senshi of Love, Ranma turned his gaze back towards the group, a wry smile gracing his lips, "Fortunately for us, the insanity is only temporary. It turns out that we were actually able to learn and use the legendary technique... it only costs us our sanity", a mirthless chuckle escaped his lips as he finished.

"Anyways, since that day, whenever I... er, Ranko and I, see a cat, we freak out. We just can't help it. What's worse is that were dangerous to be around if we're exposed to felines for a good length of time", he explained.

Raising an eyebrow, Ami asked, "What does that mean, exactly?"

"We end up using the Neko-ken", Ranma answered dryly, before rubbing one of his temples, "and if that ever happens, you better pray that Akane's around. If she isn't, then you better run for it, cause at that point she's the only one who can snap us out of it." Silently, he added, 'Course, you could trigger the curse, but I'm not about to tell them that...'

A small nervous smile twitched on her lips as Minako asked, "You couldn't possibly be _that_ dangerous... can you?"

Ranma merely gave her a half-lidded stare and said, "You were at the train station, right?" Seeing her nod, he went on, "Alright then, _you_ decide how dangerous I am when I move several times faster and that times as strong... all while acting like a cat and having no control over what I do."

While Akane scowled slightly at the mention of the train station, Minako thought about it and shuddered slightly as she shut up. Rei, however, chose that moment to continue on the fresh topic, "Ranma, speaking of the train station, can you tell me why you were fighting a monster there this afternoon?"

Letting out a tired breath, the blue eyed male asked back, "Why does it matter, Rei?"

"Because you could have been hurt", the priestess almost yelled back at her cousin. She wanted to tell him that she had more... professional interest in the matter, but she couldn't tell him about that.

A derisive snort brought knocked her back on her heel's mentally as Ranma stated, "Rei, I've been training to fight since the day I could stand without falling. I've face worse than that... thing, trust me." Beside him, his wife was slowly getting agitated, as evidence of her grip on his arm.

His cousin, on the other hand, only though, 'Stupid macho bravado!' She didn't say it out loud, though, choosing to take a more professional tone while telling him, "Well, next time, leave it to the Sailor Senshi, alright? They're better equipped than you are to fight those monsters."

Ranma only raised an eyebrow at her suggestion, "You mean they actually exist? The Sailor Senshi?" Seeing a nod from most of the girls present, he nodded himself, "Ok, but they weren't there and people could have been hurt if I didn't step in and do something, so I took care of it myself." Seeing the growing glare in his cousin's eyes, he frowned, "Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself, Rei."

"Can you tell me about that energy blast you used", Ami broke in, both trying to defuse the situation and gain information, "I'm quite curious as to how you did that."

Ranma was getting tired of the interrogation he was getting from his cousin and her friends. One or two questions were one thing, but he decided he had enough. Looking at the high school girl, he answered, "It's called a Chi Blast. Rei knows what it is, ask _her_ about it. Now, if you'll excuse us, Akane and I have to wake up early tomorrow for registration." With those final words, he shifted his wife's hand off his arm and into his own grip before they both made their way towards the shrine.

Behind them, Rei was looking dumbstruck as she thought, 'He can manipulate his chi!?'

Before the wedded couple could enter the shrine, though, Mamoru called out, "Wait!" Looking a little irritated as he turned around, Ranma gave a questioning look at the other male, who requested, "I'd like to speak to Ranko again... sometime soon if possible."

Quirking his brow slightly, the pigtailed man replied a simple question, "Why?"

"She reminds me of... someone", Mamoru answered, a pleading look in his eye, "Please, I'd just like to talk to her, that's all."

Ranma thought about the request for a few seconds, his eyes never leaving the deep brown of the requestor. Finally, he answered, "Okay... I'll let her know." Internally, he figured, 'I'll probably find out why he looks so familiar at the same time...'

Mamoru bowed his head slightly as he said, "Thank you."

Ranma just silently nodded back, intent on turning back around and heading towards the shrine once more. Akane halted his movement though as she asked out, "Excuse me, but what's your name?"

Raising an eyebrow, Ranma followed his wife's gaze toward the smallest female present, a young girl who had oddly purple eyes. He saw her eyes widen slightly before answering, "My name's Hotaru... Tomoe Hotaru, Akane-san."

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Akane asked the girl, "Have you ever been to Nerima?"

Blinking a few times, Hotaru answered after a second, "No... I don't think so. Why?"

Shaking her head slightly, the raven haired martial artist waved a hand dismissively, "It's nothing, I guess. I just... thought I've seen you somewhere before, that's all."

Both Ranma and Akane turned and walked into the shrine at that, failing to see Hotaru's violet eyes widening once more. 'She remembers?'

Before anything else could be said about the matter, a yellow sports car rolled to a stop just outside the gates, revealing Haruka. "Hotaru-chan! It's time to head home", she called out. Actually looking into the shrine after a second, she blinked when she noticed the looks on everyone's faces, ranging from puzzlement on Rei's to Mamoru's slightly anguished visage. "Uh... What happened here", the sandy blonde Outer Senshi asked in confusion, "Are you guys all right?"

Hotaru shook her head slightly, knocking herself out of her dazed expression, if just barely. "I'll tell you on the way home, Haruka-papa", she replied numbly as she walked towards the vehicle.

Seeing her adopted daughter acting that way caused Haruka to quirk a brow, but a quick look at the Inner Senshi told her that she couldn't expect any answers out of them. In fact, she felt that they were ignoring her, if not consciously, for some reason. Shrugging it off, she waited for Hotaru to open the passenger side door and climb into the seat. "Michiru and I had an interesting evening, too", she said, "I'll tell you about it on the way."

Nodding in understanding, Hotaru closed the door to the convertible. Just as the sound rang out, twin screams broke out from the two blonde Inner Senshi, "Look at the time! My parents are going to kill me!"

As the two girls bolted out the gates to the shrine and down the street, Haruka could only shake her head, sharing thoughts with the rest of those in the shrine courtyard, 'Some things _never_change...'

End of Chapter 6


	7. Chapter 7

**Fated Pasts, Chaotic Future**

A Ranma ½ and Sailor Senshi crossover Fanfic

Written by: Konsaki

This Fanfic was inspired by and uses source material from 'Lines of Destiny', a dead Fanfic created by Louis-Philippe Giroux.

oOo

Ignorant of the happenings at the Hikawa Shrine, Kaioh Michiru sat in silence in the residence she shared with the other Outer Senshi. In her hands, the clear glass of the Deep Aqua Mirror reflected her own gaze back towards her as she marshaled her thoughts for the divining she was about to perform. While it didn't require as much concentration as Rei's fire readings, using the mirror did require a certain level which involved clearing her mind of random thoughts and focusing on the object, or person in this case, of her divination. Once she reached that required level of focus, picturing a clear image of the redhead earlier encountered at the café, Michiru was rewarded after a few seconds as Ranko's image showed in the glass though the vision in the mirror showed her with a mischievous grin unlike the one in her mind.

Light green eyes observed the mirror before them as Michiru scanned the Ranko's form, both to look for anything suspicious and to just appreciate the view. She might be completely devoted to Haruka but nothing stopped her from admiring the good looking woman when the opportunity came along; though she'd be the first to elbow her beloved if she saw her doing the same. Before she could completely trace the female form displayed before her, Michiru's brow quirked in confusion as Ranko's image faded out and another replace it; one of a black haired man in similar clothing who wore a confident smirk.

"Who is this", the green haired Senshi asked to herself, "and how is he connected to Ranko?" Even as she asked this, her mind registered a glaring similarity in the clothing and hairstyles both images had shown. "Maybe her brother", she murmured out in theory, scrunching her brow together in thought.

As with before, she was only able to get a few seconds before the mirror shifted images again; this series of events uncommon to her prior uses of the talisman. When the next divination cleared in the glass the woman had to pause and blink, unsure of if her eyes were playing tricks on her. Taking a second glance, she could see Ranko but it was the other addition which threw her for a loop as she let out a questioning, "Mamoru?" Reflected on the surface of the artifact, the redhead first shown in it was once more portrayed but this time Usagi's betrothed stood behind her with a hand on her shoulder. Both he and the young woman before him wore easy smiles as if they were completely comfortable with each other's presence and happy to have the other's company.

"What is going on here?" Michiru's voice showed her growing confusion which came from both the images shown and the way her artifact was currently acting. She got no farther before the image changed yet again in the mirror, this time showing Ranko and the unnamed black haired man standing back to back. With this view, the similarities of their clothing and hairstyle was unmistakable, answered nothing and created more questions for the woman viewing it. This time, though, the view changed quickly from the pair to a scene of numerous pools of water that had large bamboo rods sticking out of them. To Michiru, the scene looked peaceful enough and rather beautiful if one was looking at a photo or painting of it but solved nothing, like the images before it.

'What's going on? Is something interfering with the Deep Aqua Mirror?' Her unasked questions found no answers in the depths of her thoughts. Still, something about the view of Mamoru and Ranko itched in the back of her mind, like she should remember something but couldn't quite grasp it. Michiru's frustration at towards the confusing images and that feeling of knowing the answer but not being able to 'find' it was unable to gather any real hold over the young woman as her concentration was broke by the front door opening and voices killing off the over present silence. Hearing this, the green haired Senshi flicked her eyes over towards the entrance to the house and saw Haruka and their adopted daughter enter in mid conversation. Almost immediately though, something flashed in the very edge of her sight which drew her eyes back down towards the mirror, but when she gazed into it once more it was empty save for her own reflection.

Letting out a breath of frustration, Michiru turned her attention towards the two who had just walked in just in time to hear her lover growl out, "…missed it?!"

Hotaru sighed slightly before answering her 'father', "It was only one and really weak, too."

Looking down at the younger girl, Haruka frowned as she replied, "Still would have liked to take it down... It's been quiet recently and I could have used the practice."

"What's going on", Michiru cut in at that point, causing the two to look towards where she was seated.

"Oh... sorry, Michiru", the blonde started, scratching the back of her head, "Hotaru-chan and I were just talking about how the meet went with Mamoru and it seems there was a daimon attack at the station..."

"What?! Is everyone ok", the green haired teen asked in a surprised but concerned voice as she jerked her eyes towards her 'daughter'.

Giving a nod, the planet destroying girl replied, "Yes, Michiru-mama, everyone is fine. There was a fight but..."

The youngest of the three was about to say more but Haruka broke in, crossing her arms while saying, "...it was easy... At least you and the others had some action."

"Actually, Haruka-papa", the purple haired girl started to reply with a tinge of annoyance in her voice, "we didn't even get the chance to transform. Someone else fought it instead and defeated it before we could do anything."

At this, the blonde blinked and dropped her arms slightly, "Really?" Seeing the younger girl nod, Haruka looked thoughtful for a second before focusing her brow and settling into a serious face, "A daimon appears out of nowhere and someone just happens to be there..."

Hearing her paternal figure's voice fade out and recognizing the pose she had taken, Hotaru acted quickly, "There's no way Ranma could be a bad guy! "

Seeing her significant other thrown off her thought process by their daughter's exclamation, Michiru took the initiative by asking, "Hotaru-chan, how do you know that?" After a second, she added, "And how do you know their name is Ranma?"

"Well, Ranma is Rei's cousin... they were on the same train that Mamoru was on", she replied to her parents. "Rei said they would be showing up at the same time so we were trying to see if we could spot them... Guess we did."

"They", Michiru asked, noticing the use of the word.

"Yes, Ranma and his wife... They are staying with Rei for a little while."

"Wait, let's go back to the daimon fight. Ranma took it out? How", Haruka broke in before the conversation got too far off track for her tastes.

Giving a shrug, the youth answered the best she could, "Well... we don't know. All he said was he's a martial artist and something about 'Ki'. He said Rei would know what that was, but I think it has something to do with that big blast of energy he defeated the daimon with." While the two parental figures took a moment to digest this new information, Hotaru finally noticed the artifact sitting in her 'mother's' lap and asked, "Michiru-mama, why do you have the Deep Aqua Mirror out?"

Blinking at the change in topic, the Senshi of Neptune looked at the item in question momentarily before her upper faculties started operating once more. "Oh, I was using it to try and find some information on a person named Tendo Ranko, but I couldn't find out much about her and what I did find was just confusing", she replied to her charge before letting out a frustrated sigh.

"Why were you searching for Ranko-san?"

"How do you know this 'Ranko', Hotaru", Michiru asked suspicious of the situation that was growing but also eager to find out anything she could to offset the mirror's confusing images.

Shrugging slightly, the young teen replied easily, "We met her at the Hikawa shrine while waiting for Ranma to show up with his wife. She didn't stay long though..."

Scrunching her brow slightly, the green haired female continued her questioning with, "What was she doing there?"

"Well, she showed up with Akane-san and Mamoru thinks she..."

"Wait a second... Akane? As in Saotome Akane", Michiru interrupted, firing off another question and disrupting the younger Senshi.

"Yeah! She's Ranma-san's wife", came the quick reply from Hotaru.

Watching this byplay as one would watch a fast moving tennis match, Haruka was finally getting annoyed by the way the conversation was wandering all over the place, she just couldn't keep it all straight in her head. "Okay, hold it", she called out, cutting in and taking control of the reins. Seeing she had the other two's attention, along with a slightly scathing look from her lover, she continued by stating, "Sorry, but this is getting confusing..." Turning to her 'daughter' she said, "Let's start from the train station and go from there, okay?"

Seeing Michiru nod from her seated position on the couch, Hotaru nodded in acceptance and moved to seat herself nearby. "Well, it all started when everyone started getting off the train..."

oOo

Back at the Hikawa Shrine, things had finally quieted down for the evening. Ami, Makoto, Mamoru and the two felines had taken their leave shortly after their two blonde companions' departures, although they left at a far lesser speed than the two girls had. Before leaving the shrine grounds and heading their own separate ways though, they had all promised to look into Ranma's situation a little more at a later date, since the man in question didn't seem too inclined to answer any more questions at the moment.

As for Ranma and Akane themselves, they were in the room that had earlier been giving to them for their stay at the shrine. A bit of idle chatter, intermixed with mild banter, went between the newly married couple as they prepared for an early night. When someone started rapping on the door to their room they shared a look and, on unspoken agreement, Ranma opened it to find Rei on the other side with a thoughtful expression on her face.

Quirking his brow, the martial artist asked his cousin, "Something wrong, Rei?"

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she looked up at her elder cousin and said, "Oh, no. Everything fine... I was just hoping to ask you one question before you went to bed. I'd have waited till morning, but it'd probably keep me up thinking about it."

Shrugging a bit, Ranma replied offhandedly, "Okay, go ahead. What you want to know?"

"Well, before you said you used a ki-blast against a monster at the train station, right?" Seeing her cousin nod while letting out a small sigh, she moved into the question that he obviously knew she was going to ask, "How exactly did you do it? Manipulate your ki, I mean."

Ranma just looked at his cousin silently for a few moments, pondering the best and fastest way to go about answering. To Rei's surprise, the blue eyed man before her just raised a hand and a shining white aura arose around it before seeming to reach out and form into a sphere which hovered above his outstretched palm. "Like this, only bigger", he finally replied after the ball of ki hung there for a few seconds and he noticed his cousin staring in utter awe.

Rei couldn't believe what she was seeing before her; a legend brought to life in the form of a white globe with flecks of gold flittering inside. Being no stranger to ki, having to use it to perform her fire readings, her knowledge told her that only the best martial arts masters were able to use their ki like Ranma was doing before her... and the raven haired man seemed to perform the feat with very little effort on his part at that. Just the thought of that made her wonder about just how powerful his spiritual strength might be.

Eventually, she noticed that she was gawking at the sight before her and closed her mouth to swallow, hydrating her suddenly dry throat. Mentally chiding herself for her lack of composure, the priestess took a quick breath. With that, Rei gestured towards the illuminating globe and asked, "May I?"

Raising a brow, the martial artist gave an unsure reply of, "Uh… okay…" Really, he didn't know exactly what his cousin planned on doing, but Ranma figured he'd be able to absorb the sphere of ki at a moment's notice if required. Just after his affirmation, he saw Rei close her eyes and move a hand to hover over the sphere, just barely touching but not quite.

Once she felt the soft warmth wafting off the spiritual energy, Rei opened herself to it fully; flooding her senses with the feel of power radiating off the sphere and, through it, the unfiltered sensation of Ranma's aura. Feeling the confidence and power held within both, the miko had to keep herself from shuddering from what her senses were telling her.

'How is he able to do this so easily', Rei thought as she continued to examine the orb with her spiritual sight, 'If it wasn't for the fact that me and the girls fired off our attacks as easily as this, I'd think it would be inhuman, but still this is…' "Incredible…"

Hearing his cousin's compliment and unused to receiving such, Ranma couldn't help but blush as he absorbed his ki back, dissipating the sphere from his hand. Feeling that it was gone, Rei took a deep steadying breath as she opened her eyes. "I'm very impressed, Ranma", she noted in pure honesty. "I'm looking forward to seeing what else you can do. Thank you and good night", she finished with a slight bow, turning away and walking off to think about what she just learned about her cousin.

Quirking his brow once more, Ranma looked from the retreating miko to his empty palm and back before shrugging. 'Oh well…', he thought before lowering his arm and closing the door to the room given to him. As he turned around, he found his wife standing nearby, having watched the entire event. He noticed the slightly concerned look on Akane's face as she commented, "I hope she doesn't go telling everyone about that."

Looking at his wife curiously, Ranma asked, "And if she does?"

Akane just sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, "Ranma, each time you've shown off your abilities, someone hears about it and challenges you…"

"So", her husband replied with a shrug, "It keeps me in practice and I'm supposed to accept all challenges to the school, remember?"

"That's just it, Ranma", she replied in a slightly exasperated tone, "We aren't at the dojo any more. It isn't a challenge to the _school_now; it would just be messing up _our_ life." As she continued speaking, Akane softly placed a hand on her husband's arm, "We're married now… no more fiancées, no more suitors, no more amazons… We haven't even seen Happosai since the first wedding." Moving in to lean into his chest, she almost pleaded, "It's been peaceful… Why can't it stay that way?"

Taking a breath, the pig tailed man wrapped his arms around his love as his face softened, "Akane… I promise I'll try not to do anything to attract any unwanted attention." Bringing a hand to her chin, he raised it up for her to see his serious gaze, "But if another monster shows up or something else happens…"

"I know", she conceded, "If living with you all this time has taught me anything, it's that sometimes you just have to do what you have to do..." With a sigh, she softly pushed herself out of her husband's arms and turned to look at the two futons, which were still about two feet apart. "Now…", she started once more, looking from the mattresses to Ranma, "What do we do about this?"

Grinning roguishly, he started to reply back, "How about a compromise…"

oOo

Meanwhile at the Outer's residence, their long but informative discussion on Ranma, Ranko, Mamoru and the monster attack had wound down for the night. Hotaru had just been put to bed but Haruka and Michiru were deep in thought, digesting their daughter's exposition of the day's events. Eventually, the silence was broken by Haruka's slightly skeptical sounding voice asking, "So, about Ranko… Do you think she's Mamoru's reincarnated sister?"

After a moment of thought, her lover looked up and answered, "I think she might very well be." Twitching her eyes towards the stairs that led to the bedrooms, Michiru added, "You heard Hotaru-chan describe Mamaru's reaction. What would you think if you'd been having dreams of someone only to have them show up exactly like in your dreams… especially if it was your sister from your past life?"

"You know I never had any sisters. Just four older brothers", Haruka responded with a derisive snort as she brought up the memories she could remember of her past life.

Slapping her lover's arm simi-playfully, the green haired teen chided, "Yes, I know that, but what if you _did_ have a sister that you couldn't remember and just suddenly did. That's what Mamoru's going through right now, love."

"Okay, I can understand that, but I'm worried about how Ranko seems to have a really close link to Ranma", Haruka voiced back. "Were you ever able to find anything more with the Mirror about either of them or that connection?"

Shaking her head, the Senshi of Neptune replied in the negative to her partner, "I'm afraid not. I could get flashes of them, but that's it, nothing of any real value. Truthfully, I think something's interfering with the Mirror but I don't have a clue what it might be." Silently, she thanked the kami that she was able to draw out the images she had previously seen, enabling Hotaru to immediately point out the male figure, that wasn't Mamoru, as Ranma. Still, all this information put a new spin on the puzzle that encompassed Ranko and Ranma.

"Alright… well, putting aside that for a moment", the blonde Senshi said, changing the subject since it was going to go nowhere, "What are your thoughts on Akane? Hotaru thinks she might be her reincarnated brother."

The aqua haired woman let out a sigh as she thought about her conversation with the woman in question, cut short by circumstance having to do with her own partner and a certain redheaded fighter. "Well, she seemed like a nice enough person… Time will tell, I guess." She shook her head slightly while adding, "I just hope Hotaru doesn't accidently say anything important to Akane."

Placing a hand over her lover's own clasped hands, Haruka confidently proclaimed, "Hotaru has good judgment and she knows how to keep things secret." After saying that, she gave Michiru's hands a gentle squeeze before releasing them and moving onto another topic of slightly similar nature, "Speaking of secrets… have you heard anything about Setsuna?"

"Not as of yet, I'm afraid", Michiru responded with a shake of her head before continuing with a tinge of rue in her voice, "but then, how often do we really know anything about her?"

Haruka chucked at the mild joke before saying, "So I guess we should be used to it by now, ne? Anyways, I guess we should at least tell Mamoru about Ranko when we next see him?"

Michiru answered with a nod, "Agreed. I think we should try and find him tomorrow if we can." After saying this, the young woman stretched her arms high above her head, giving her partner a planned eyeful, which Haruka took full leering advantage of, while saying, "Right now, though, I just want to go to bed."

With a roguish grin which would have made Ranma's look miniscule in comparison, Haruka quickly got up from the couch and scooped her lover up into her arms causing Michiru to give out a light, playful shriek. "Well, I guess that solves what _we'll_ be doing before we fall asleep… Ne?"

oOo

Once more, Ranma's dreams were plagued by the mysterious girl from the prior nights, and standing in the fallow fields as was quickly becoming the normal dreamscape in them. This time, though, it almost felt more... real than the ones before, if that were possible for a dream to be, or at least that's what he figured as the pigtailed dreamer scuffed a foot into the soft soil beneath the grass and wildflowers. It was then that Ranma heard the ghostly laughter and unintelligible speech that drove him to jerk his body around and orient on the target of his current frustrations.

There, in the middle of a gathering of oddly colored flora knelt the girl, once more with her face obscured by the long hair and shadows that seemed to persist no matter how she held her head. Somehow, he knew she was smiling and enjoying herself, but that was deemed trivial as Ranma moved closer to try and get a better look at her shadowed face. Eventually, after trying multiple times to get close but unable to break that final distance, Ranma got fed up and turned away from the laughing female...

It was then he almost had his heart fly into his throat in shock as he turned face to shadow with a new entity, an armored male slightly taller than himself. Sensing the armed and armored man start to move forward, the martial artist instinctively dropped into a defensive stance that would reduce the range advantage the sword wearing man would have. A moment later, Ranma blinked in surprise as he saw the man had no hostile movements in his steps and then shivered unconsciously as the black and silver clad male phased right through him as if Ranma wasn't even standing there. It was at this moment that his sleeping mind broke the veil of disbelief and forced himself to realize that he was in actually in a lucid dream.

As he jerked his body around once more to follow the actions of the unnamed knight, the pigtailed dreamer saw said knight approach closer to the mysterious girl, who rose from the plants at her feet to turn towards the man. Then, as if on cue, they ran the last few meters towards each other only to envelope in a familiar hug.

Feeling ignored and left out in his own dream, Ranma walked towards the two embracing figures and demanded of them, "Hey! Who the _hell_ are you two!?"

The raven haired fighter felt a pang of elation, along with an odd pang of fear, as both figures finally reacted to him as he saw them turn to face them. He saw the man put an arm around the shorter female's shoulder, as if to protect her and comfort her at the same time while the shadows which covered his face lessened to reveal slight outlines of his features. Ranma took mild note of this but his attention was immediately locked on something more important... vastly more important. The ever present shadows which had obscured the girls face for as long as Ranma had had her in his dreams had finally cleared away, leaving her instantly identifiable to the Neriman martial artist. It was at that very same moment of recognition that identical symbols flared to life on each of their foreheads, flashing so brightly it blinded him in pain...

Jerking upright, Ranma flashed his eyes open into the darkness as a few beads of sweat dripped down his brow and he breathed a deep breath to steady his nerves. Jerking his grey blue eyes around, he quickly realized he was back in the room he and Akane were sharing in the Hikawa Shrine. 'Just a dream...', the Saotome heir thought to himself as he wiped at the beads of sweat. Then he paused mid motion as he realized something... the girl in his dreams...

'That was my female side', he stated mentally even as he let out a low groan, 'What the hell is with that? Damn... Ok, so I'm dreaming about my girl side... nothing's happening so it's not perverted, right?' Almost unbidden, the last image of the two looking back at him in his dreamscape flashed once more in his mind. 'Oh, yeah... there was that guy this time but... why the hell does he seem so familiar?'

Not gaining any answers in the dead of night, Ranma gave his head a shake to clear it before looking over to the sleeping form of his new wife. Based off her breathing, Akane seemed to still be fast asleep even as she scooted over even more, almost moving from her futon to his. Smiling slightly, Ranma thought about how he had suggested they push them together and how Akane had agreed so far as they simply slept which he agreed to.

Letting out a sigh, Ranma reached over to tuck his wife's bluish-black hair behind an ear as he thought, 'I sure hope her dreams aren't as weird as mine.' Taking another breath, he broke the gaze he had towards the sleeping beauty and looked towards the traveler's alarm clock they had set up beforehand. 'Great, a few more hours until we have to get up. Maybe I can get some actual sleep this time', he groused out as he lay back down and settled back to sleep.

Unfortunately, the weaver of dreams deemed that night to work against the young fighter's wishes and graced Akane with a dream not that much unlike his own. In hers, however, she found herself in a blank world facing the young girl she had seen in her previous dreams. Her features were slightly clearer than last time, but still blurry enough that her sleep addled mind failed to make out any solid details other than she was wearing a semi-formal dress from the Silver Millennium.

For a split moment, Akane's subconscious halted as it noted that it knew the dress was from the Silver Millennium but didn't know exactly what the Silver Millennium was. Even with that pause, the dream seemed to continue on, drawing her attention back just as the girl looked directly towards her and smiled brightly. Then, as the youth stepped towards her, a symbol flared to life on her forehead, glowing steadily and looking like a stylized romanji 'h'.

Even as she was beginning to get weirded out by the dream events before her, someone seemed to step out of her body, almost as if they were sharing the same spot to begin with. Startled, Akane jerked a step back, gaining enough room from the two dream figures to see that the one who stepped out of her was a man around her height and had a body that spoke of years of hard work. He had his back turned, keeping his face from Akane's view, but she noticed the armor he wore held a strange violet hue and seemed like something a guard or soldier would wear. More noticeable, was the mean-looking warhammer he had strapped to his back, though it hung there without any noticeable straps to hang it. While she was noting these things, the two figures continued to move towards each other until they reached the other and embraced in a close hug.

It was only then that Akane noticed that she was wielding her own trusty mallet in her hands, as if gaining comfort by its weight pulling down in them. Her grip tightened reflexively as the pair released their quick but familiar embrace and the armored man turned around to look directly towards her while dropping into the same exact stance she held her weapon in. All this cursory information was just background noise to the feeling of familiarity that slammed into her skull as she gazed at the man's un-obscured face.

"Who are you", Akane asked out, absently noticing that there was no echo in the featureless expanse they occupied. When the hammer wielding man failed to move out of his stance and chose not to answer her question, Akane became annoyed, calling out once more, "Hey! I asked you a question! Who are you!?"

This time, the armored figure chose to respond, adopting an annoyed expression not unlike Akane's as he raised a hand from the shaft of his weapon to point at her. The one word he spoke seemed to rebound off unseen walls and echo loudly but clearly, "You."

oOo

Meanwhile, Mamoru held his own dreams about a fiery redhead as he slept in his apartment; although, unlike Ranma, he slept though them. Realizing them for what they were to him, memories of the past shared with his lost sister, he dreamt of better days in the Silver Millennium. From bits and pieces of his life on Earth like practicing with his sister all the way to meeting young Princess Serenity for the first time... the lost pieces of his past life fell into place.

Elsewhere, Hotaru was doing the same, however she had no lost pieces to put together in her dreams. She clearly saw her previous life as a princess of Saturn and how she used to play with her brother up until the fateful day when she was marked as the avatar of Silence. She clearly remembered the way everyone shunned her from then on from _what_ she was and ignoring_who_ she was; all because of what she represented.

Above all, she remembered that her brother had never forsaken her and always found time to speak with her as a person instead of the destroyer of worlds that everyone thought she was. He would listen to her plights and triumphs while speaking to her of his own worries and hopes... until the day he disappeared without a trace. The sights that she witnessed on her return to Saturn after Metallia's attacks drove a spike of anguish through her soul as she observed the ruins that had once been the royal palace and the forge her brother used to spend so much time in. All of it now just ashes to be blown around in the dying winds...

While the dreams of times past weren't enough to wake the young Senshi of Saturn from her slumbers, tears still ran freely down her cheeks as she wept silently in her sleep...

oOo

Quickly reaching over, Ranma pawed around until he finally managed to silence the infernal alarm, but the damage was already done. Now he'd never finish the epic battle with the unnamed monk on that rickety rope bridge in the mountains. With a jaw popping yawn, he shrugged the dream away as he stretched his arms out and fully awoke to the morning.

With a final pop of his neck, the young husband looked over to see and hear Akane stirring on her side of the mats, though she wasn't that much on her side at all. With a grin, he reached over, placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze as he softly greeted, "Ohayo, my beautiful tomboy."

As if refusing to throw off the veil of slumber, the woman curled up a bit more but mumbled out something mostly unintelligible. The only thing Ranma understood in the jumbled words that came from his wife's lips was a softly said, "…baka…" When he heard this, the pigtailed martial artist let out a soft snort while shaking his head ruefully, all the while keeping his grin. "Alright then, tomboy… I guess I'll just have to practice without you", Ranma intoned while getting up from the futon.

Even as he rose from the floor, he could clearly hear the grumbling from his wife, which preceded her saying, "Okay, okay! I'm getting up, baka." It took her a moment before, mid stretch, she stopped and realized what her husband had said, "You mean you're really going to spar with me?"

Shrugging Ranma replied, "Sure… that's what I told you before, right?" The grin turned into a smirk as he added, "That is, if you can drag yourself out of bed before noon." Hearing her annoyed grumble from Akane behind him as he turned and started pulling on his pants, he was ready when a pillow sailed past his head as he burst into light laughter.

Akane had a satisfied smirk on her face when the laughter was killed instantly when she smugly claimed, "Alright, baka, no fun for you tonight!" Even as she turned away to put on her own cloths, and to shield the large grin on her face, she relished in hearing the stuttered apologies behind her. She let Ranma fret for a little bit as she finished before abruptly turning on him and laying one hell of lip lock on his surprised mouth. When she released him, she saw he still had a shocked look on his face and noticing that he still hadn't put on his shirt, Akane playfully asked, "So… are you going to get ready before noon?" She laughing playfully, she danced out the door fully dressed as her husband snagged his shirt and chased after her.

Moments later, they both were out in the open air of the shine's courtyard. The sun shown just over the horizon, but failing to crest the walls that lined the shrine, creating a brightening environment as the pair stretched out their muscles from the night's rest and prepared for the coming exertions. As they continued their preparations, Akane spoke out asking, "You remember your promise, right? I want a real spar with you, not you dancing around me!"

Nodding in response, he replied, "Yeah, yeah. I'll spar for you for real… if you can get one good hit in on me."

With an eye twitch, Akane growled out, "What was that?"

"If you can hit me, I'll fight back. If you can't, well…", he replied evenly, ending with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

Surprisingly, instead of getting angry like he expected her to, Ranma's wife seemed to get more focused as if anticipating that one good shot she was going to give him. Even his usual confident smirk failed to get a rise out of her as she looked at him and thought, 'Not this time, baka. I have learned a few things from watching you…" With a slightly manic smile, she flashed forward with a direct charge at her opponent, beginning the match…

oOo

Unlike the two newlyweds, Rei had woken up before the crack of dawn to perform her chores as a miko of the shrine. She was preparing the Great Fire for the day ahead when the sounds of fierce fighting broke out outside. Jerking her head towards one of the closed windows which the sounds were filtering through, she felt around for any dark presences but found nothing. Confused but on high alert, the traditionally clothed priestess ran outside to see what the commotion was as she felt the comforting feel of her henshin rod in the hidden pocket of her top.

When she reached the doorway leading outside to the courtyard, Rei skid to a halt, amazed at the display of martial skill shown before her and silently kicking herself for forgetting that Ranma had asked about practicing in the morning. In her own mind, when Ranma had asked her about it, she thought he would be performing kata or speed drills… not this flowing full contact combat that she saw before her.

Well, it would have been a full contact match, had one of the two combatants actually managed to hit the other. In fact, it seemed like a one sided fight, with Akane trying her damndest to strike her new husband as he danced around her offense, dodging or redirecting the blows as they came at breakneck speeds. 'Kami-sama…', Rei swore as she silently put her hand over the pocket which held her henshin stick, 'they're moving almost as fast as we can when we're powered up!'

Inside the fight, Akane was concentrating as much as she could on the movements of her husband. So far, Ranma seemed to be acting like she expected as he slipped around another of her punches. Throwing out another strike, she gauged that the time was right to try a combination she had been practicing just for this. Throwing a timed combination of hand strikes, kicks and seemingly desperate moves, she waited for the proper moment. When that moment came, Akane soaked in the refreshing look of Ranma's surprised face as she launched her planned mallet strike straight into his face.

Rei almost shrieked out in shock, seeing her cousin get smashed in the face with the blunt weapon and go flying across the open area to roll on the ground until he came to a stop. She was about to run over and see if he was ok when he unsteadily dragged himself to his feet, shaking his head as if to knock his brain back into proper positioning. Ranma barely had time to do this, though, as his wife continued her assault uninterrupted without her weapon.

Dodging entirely on instinct and muscle memory, he turned to engage Akane and saw the pleased smirk plastered on her face. Her smug voice entered his ears as she pressed her advantage, "Ha! Got you good, Ranma!"

Picking back up his rhythm, he wove around her strikes once more but there was an edge to his moves as if anticipating another unexpected attack. "Yeah, guess you did. You've been practicing, huh?"

"Damn right, I have", Akane responded proudly. "Now come on! Fight me!"

Her smug expression faded away almost instantly as Ranma flashed a smirk and the flow of the match changed in an instant. No longer was she on the offensive against a dodging pigtailed fighter; now she was the one rushing on the defensive as blows seemed to come in from all directions and angles.

As the fight shifted directions, Ranma evaluated his wife's abilities and was pleasantly surprised to find her defensive and countering skills had improved as well as her offensive. She was still being completely overpowered, even without him resorting to any special techniques or upping his attacks to the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken level, but Akane was still performing well and even firing off her own counter attacks every now and then.

Rei just watched the two of them dance to and fro in the courtyard, amazed at the spectacle until her mind wandered back to the scene of Akane's triumph. Knowing that she had discarded her weapon after the successful strike, the priestess looked around for it but failed to spot where it should have been. Thinking about it for a second, she had to ask herself, 'Where did she get it in the first place? Wasn't she unarmed the entire time before that?'

With that rolling around in her conscious thoughts, along with many more questions, Rei yelled out a clear, "Break!" Even thought the interruption was unexpected, the conditioning of the two fighters forced them apart mid skirmish as they jerked their vision around to identify the third party.

Realizing that it was his cousin who called out the command, Ranma raised a brow and asked, "There a problem, Rei?"

"No, not exactly", she replied as she walked forward, "I just wanted to know what styles you were using. I've never seen anything like it before now and it was just amazing."

"Ah", he replied with a nod and a grin before puffing out his chest slightly, "That was the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu and I'm not surprised you haven't seen it before since there aren't many people trained in it."

"That was just one style? It looked like several styles mixed together…", Rei asked back, slightly confused.

Scratching the side of his head lightly with a finger, Ranma took a moment before replying, "Well, that's pretty much it. Practitioners of the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu take what works from other styles to shore up any weaknesses and doing that allows them to be able to adapt to any other fighting style."

Smiling wryly, she leaned to the side slightly as she asked, "So that includes getting slugged in the face by a hammer?"

Feeling his wife in a full face smirk beside him, he absently brought up a hand to rub at the still visible mark left from the earlier strike. "Yeah… kind of, I guess", he answered back before turning to his wife. "What's the big deal with that anyways? You never pulled that out before."

Akane just shrugged as she responded easily, "You just said we should be ready for anything." Leaning in slightly she added smugly, "Anyways, a great martial artist like yourself should have been able to see it halfway across Nerima, especially after fighting Mousse as many times as you have." Pulling back to cross her arms before her, she finished by saying, "Consider it punishment for not taking me seriously from the start."

Before Ranma could respond to his wife's verbal jabs, Rei's confused voice broke in, "Mousse? You fought hair care products?"

Ranma just let out a groan at this as he shook his head, "No… not that kind of mousse, this one's more of the Chinese Hidden Weapons expert variety." Seeing the miko's lost look, he waved a hand dismissively, "Really long story, Rei… trust me." Looking up at the rising sun, he continued by saying, "Anyways, we needed to finish up anyways if we want to make it to registration early."

Nodding hesitantly, the shrine priestess turned halfway away from the pair, "Well… help yourselves to the kitchen. I'll be in a little later, I still have chores to perform." '…and I can always ask you more later', she silently finished.

"Great, thanks Rei", Ranma replied as he started walking towards the indicated doorway. He stopped in his tracks as Akane spoke out though, saying, "Yes, thank you, Rei. I'll go make us breakfast and then we can head out."

Taking a breath and praying for luck, the pigtailed male turned back to look at his wife and formulated a quick plan of action. "Akane, I don't think you should make breakfast yet." Immediately, his internal threat level went from 'normal' to 'imminent danger of death' as Akane scowled and growled out, "What? You don't think I can make breakfast!?"

Quickly waving his hands before him to try and placate his hair trigger wife, he rapidly explained, "No, no, no! I didn't mean that, Akane! I'm just saying you might want to wash up first, I mean, you worked a lot harder than me, especially for that one good shot." Seeing that he hadn't gotten attacked yet by the short haired woman, he continued to press his case, "While you wash up, I'll set out everything so you don't have to and help out when you're done."

Seeing his wife mull over the offer, Ranma only fully relaxed when she took a breath and said, "Oh, all right…"

As Akane headed off to bathe, her raven haired husband gave a slight sigh of relief, giving thanks to whatever kami saved him at the moment. Rei, for her part, watched the interaction in confusion, "Ranma… is there something I should know?"

This time, Ranma let out a clearly audible sigh, as Akane was nowhere in hearing range, and answered his cousin's question, "Well… It's like this, Rei. Akane likes to get… creative when she cooks and it usually turns out really bad. She also doesn't pay attention and is just as likely to use salt as sugar."

"Oh, come on, you can't be serious", Rei responded, her ire rising at hearing her cousin bash his wife's cooking.

"Dead serious", Ranma deadpanned back. "Don't get me wrong, she's getting better but she still has… accidents in the kitchen and they're usually really bad. The last time it happened, everyone almost had to get their stomach pumped."

Giving Ranma a disbelieving glare, Rei said, "Okay, now I know you're pulling my leg."

"Look, just call her family if you don't believe me, but really, with someone watching out for her she does ok. It comes out a bit bland, but that's great compared to what she made before", he explained, finishing with a shrug.

Giving her cousin one last disbelieving look, Rei just shook her head and headed back into the shrine with Ranma in tow. Looking slightly over her shoulder, she asked, "So, when are you guys leaving to register at the university?"

"Right after breakfast", Ranma replied, "We don't want to be stuck in line for hours just to get our courses."

"Oh, speaking about that, I never asked you what you two were taking", his cousin noted.

"Well, I'm taking Phys Ed so I can get certified as a sensei. Kind of have to since I'm the heir to the family dojo and our style", the red shirted man said as they headed towards the kitchen. "Akane's going to do acting, though Nabiki thinks she should try her hand at chemistry."

Rei raised an eyebrow as she asked, "Why chemistry? And who's Nabiki?"

"Nabiki's one of Akane's sisters. Just a word of advice, don't deal with her if you don't have to. She's a bit of a loan shark and a hustler", he answered and advised his cousin. "As for the chemistry bit, you need to remember Akane's cooking problems. We think she might get better if she can learn to check what ingredients she's using before actually using them…" Giving a quick shrug, he added, "Either that, or she'll accidently create some alternative fuel or something."

Hearing that last bit, Rei punched Ranma in the arm, "Oh, come on! Quit joking around!" Shaking her head, she remembered something, "Oh, before I forget again, Grandfather and Yuuichiro are probably coming back today, so don't be surprised if they're here when you get back. I'll leave a note so they'll be expecting you."

"Nice. It will be good to see Grandpa again… it's been a while", he mused as he opened the fridge and started pulling out the ingredients for breakfast.

Half an hour later, and an uneventful breakfast, Ranma and Akane headed off to register for their classes, leaving Rei alone at the shrine as she prepared to head off to school herself. Just as she approached the main gate to the shrine, Ami and Makoto poked their heads through. "Hey guys! What's going on", Rei asked as she gave a quick wave to them.

"Oh, we just wanted to see if you learned anything new", Makoto explained as she and Ami waved back.

Giving a quick sigh, the catholic schoolgirl said, "Yeah, lots of things. I'll tell you all about it this afternoon." Blinking for a second and scrunching her brow, she asked, "Wait a minute… if you're both here, then who's going to pick up Usagi?"

Ami just smiled, "Minako said she'd take care of it today."

For a second, Rei looked like someone tried to tell her one plus one equaled eleven, but shook it off and shrugged. Really, it wasn't her problem since she didn't even attend the same school as the rest of the inner Senshi.

Needless to say, Usagi and Minako were both on bucket detail for being late to class that day…

oOo

As they walked away from the registration office, Ranma couldn't help but glance over at his wife's course list to see what classes she took. After going over it once, he chuckled slightly and jokingly asked, "You know Nabiki will still try to get you to take chemistry sometime while you're here, right? Don't you have to take a science class anyways to graduate?"

Turning her head towards her greatest annoyance along with greatest love, Akane growled out, "Ranma, don't make me hurt you, it's starting out a nice day so far." With the warning to her husband out of the way, she flicked her nose into the air as she added, "Besides, I'm taking biology to cover that, so there."

Letting out another chuckle, this time a slight nervousness tick, he looked around at the wandering students who meandered around them. Coughing into his hand, Ranma quickly changed the subject by saying, "So... what do we do now?"

After blinking at the question, the short haired woman looked through the paperwork they were given and found what she was looking for. Perusing through it, she called off, "Well, there's the welcoming ceremony soon, which we have to go to." She finished the last part with a glare to her husband, knowing he was going to complain about having to sit through it. "After that, though, we're free to do whatever." Looking through her papers once more, she ran across the list of active clubs in the university roster, "I think I'll go take a look around and see if there are any clubs that interest me." 'Specifically, what the cooking club is like', she thought to herself as she spotted that one on the list. "What about you?"

Smirking, Ranma started to spout off a list of sports related clubs in a seemingly never ending chain that lasted until the pair sat in their chairs for the welcoming ceremony and Akane elbowed him to him shut up. As Ranma expected, the ceremony bored him to an almost brain dead state, a taxing endeavor that was more of him trying to stay awake than listening to whoever it was that was welcoming them to the university. When the torture was finally over, they both relished the ability to stretch their legs out once more and headed off in search for lunch. After a quick meal on campus, Akane and Ranma split off to explore, knowing they'd want to check out areas that didn't interest the other.

It turned out to be, generally, an uneventful early afternoon for Ranma as he wandered around the campus. True to his word, he checked out the sports clubs for something to interest him, but just like a Furinkan, he just couldn't get excited about any of them as they held little to no challenge. Still, the pigtailed martial artist wandered around the environs not paying attention to much, having little else to do. Due to this, he was completely off guard when a bucket slammed down over his head, drenching the Neriman.

'Damn... why now', the new female Saotome cursed in her thoughts as she peeked out from under the bucket, hoping no one saw the transformation. Letting out a quick sigh at seeing no one nearby, the redhead pulled the metal container off her head completely in time to hear someone shout from above her, "Oh geez, I'm sorry! Are you ok?"

Looking up towards the voice, Ranma saw two girls leaning out of a window, cleaning supplies in hand. "Yeah, I'm fine", she yelled back up, if a bit darkly. "Why'd you have to drop it me though?"

"Look, I'm really sorry", the one who yelled first called down again, "We were cleaning the windows and accidently knocked it off." After a second of looking a little sheepish, she asked down to the soaked freshman, "Um... do you think we could have it back?"

"Fine, just be careful next time", the redhead demanded as she tossed the empty bucket to the two girls, surprising them into almost not catching it. Turning to walk away, Ranma started grumbling under her breath about having to find a bathroom to get hot water now. She was heading off to do just that when a somewhat familiar voice called out from behind her, "Ranko-san? Is that you?"

Coming to a stop, the part-time girl turned to come face to face with the young man she met last night at the shrine. Blinking slightly in surprise, she couldn't remember if she was introduced to him as a girl then and decided to play dumb to be on the safe side, "Uh... who are you?"

The man before her tapped himself of the forehead slightly before saying, "Oh, sorry. I'm Chiba Mamoru. We met last night at the Hikawa Shrine..." Mamoru cleared his throat slightly before adding, "...though you left rather quickly."

Realizing quickly what the taller man was talking about, Ranma could feel her face heat up as she lightly stammered out, "Ah... yeah... Sorry about that." Desperate to change the subject away from her embarrassing departure last night she quickly said, "Oh, yeah! Ranma said you wanted to speak with me about something. What's up?"

This time it was Mamoru's turn to blink for a moment before it clicked in his mind and he absently said, "I did ask him to tell you didn't I." Gaining a bit more focus he continued on, "Yes, there are a few things I'd like to talk to you about."

Picking up a relaxed stance next to a nearby light pole, Ranma said, "Okay, I've got some free time. What'd you want to talk about?" 'Cause I got some things I want to talk about too...'

The redhead blinked a bit when, instead of starting up a topic, the raven haired man looked around nervously at the surrounding meandering students. Looking a little bit nervous and embarrassed, he asked, "Ah, well... it's a little personal..."

Quirking her brow at this new information, she gave the man a once over with her misty blue eyes. Figuring she could take him if he tried anything, not that she felt he ever would for some reason, Ranma shrugged. "Sure", she said before gesturing down to her soaked clothing, "You mind if I at least dry off first?"

Finally noticing that the girl before him was dripping wet, from having the fact shoved in front of his nose, he blinked once more while dumbly asking, "Ah... what happened to you?"

"Oh, nothing much", she replied, waving a hand dismissively as she dryly added, "Just got in a fight with a bucket of water. Guess who won."

oOo

Meanwhile, at Juuban High, annoyed brunette and her friend were waiting just inside the main entrance of the building near the shoe boxes. One was obviously annoyed while the other just shook her head at the griping coming from her companion. "Really, I can't believe those two", Makoto said for the umpteenth time that day.

"When I spoke to her at lunch, she blamed it on Artemis for not waking her up on time", Ami supplied even as she continued typing into her mini-computer.

"Doesn't that girl have an alarm clock or something", the taller brown haired girl questioned, very well knowing the answer as she leaned against the nearby wall.

"Would it make a difference if she did", Ami asked back as she looked up momentarily with a raised eyebrow, "You know she's as sound a sleeper as Usagi."

"Okay, fine, but why do those two rely more on the cats than their alarms to wake them up? It makes no sense...", Makoto asked in exasperation before around once more. "So, how much longer until those two are done with clean up?"

Taking a quick glance at her watch, the shorter of the two answered with, "They should be done any time now."

"Great! I can't wait to get out of..." Anything else Makoto was about to say was drowned out by a cacophony of shrieks originating from farther inside the school causing her to jerk upright, as did Ami. With a silent glance at each other, they ran around the corner to see a stampede of girls flee the locker room, some in less than full dress. As one ran close to the pair, Makoto reached out to snag her arm while demanding, "Hey! What's going on?!"

"There's a perverted monster stealing our underwear and groping us in there", she cried back with a shiver before breaking loose and continuing her flight of the scene.

Narrowing her eyes, the brunette powerhouse looked towards Ami and asked, "Is there a youma or daimon in there?"

Even as the question was being asked, the dark haired girl was typing away furiously at the keys of her Mercury computer. With a slight frown, she replied, "I can't get a good reading... but there's something in there." Scrunching her brow, she wondered out loud, "Why would a youma bother with stealing underwear though?"

Looking at the shorter Senshi incredulously, the brunette asked back, "Why ask me? I don't..." For the second time, in so few minutes, the Jovian girl was interrupted before she could finish by a loud cry, though this time it was that of two specific words that wracked her brain, "Hotcha! Sweeto!"

Makoto never knew what hit her just after that as the owner of the voice rocketed forward to latch onto her developed chest and give it a loving grope or three. Shocked into a minor stupor, she could only look down to see a shrunken wrinkled... thing covered in female underwear attached to her bosom, as it continued to explore it. After a moment, the thing attatched to her happily commented, "Whoa! Never expected there'd be a girl as stacked as you around this joint, sweetie!" Wiggling what might have been eyebrows, it asked, "Why don't you an' me elope for a few nights of wild passion? What d'you say?"

At that, it took less than a second for Makoto to go from 'Shocked', straight through 'Outraged' and wind up smack-dab at 'Murderous Rage' as she lashed out at the perverted monster. "How dare you, you freak", she screamed out as the thing released her assets to dodge her fist.

"Sweeto! You even know some martial arts, too", the thing happily cried out as it danced around the enraged girl's strikes, "This place is even better than Nerima!" Just after yelling this, both it and the girl trying to strike it down jerked their attention to the door of the locker room as it burst open, disgorging several girls with murder in their eyes and the tools to accomplish it in their hands; ranging from mops to hockey stick to even the occasional mallet. Outnumbered and having lost the element of surprise, the perverted gnome chose to flee; quickly followed by the girls screaming for its death or at least a severe beating. Of course, it got a quick grope up Ami's skirt as it passed, just to make sure she wasn't feeling left out.

"I'm going to kill that thing", Makoto roared out to the empty hallway as she smashed a fist into her palm. She was about to run out to do just that until she noticed Ami standing stock rigid still beside her. With concern filling her voice she asked, "Hey, Ami, are you ok?!"

With the mention of her name, the dark blue haired girl blinked and turned her head towards her taller companion. Her face was expressionless as she numbly asked, "You want to kill that thing?"

Almost immediately, Makoto snarled out, "I'm going to ram a lightning bolt up its ass!"

Instead of balking at the vulgarity used like she normally would, Ami's face went from expressionless to cold hard steel as she told the taller Senshi, "Then get in line!" Then, without any more delay, she shot down the hallway to chase after the bouncing pervert leaving Makoto to blink in surprise before following what usually was the calmest member of the team. As Sailor Senshi, it was their duty to prevent threats to the public... this time; they were going to stop the threat by extreme annihilation!

oOo

"So, how did you recognize me back there", Ranma asked as she and Mamoru wandered aimlessly down the street.

Smiling slightly, the taller of the two replied with a little chuckle, "Well, there aren't that many redheads around here and it sort of stood out when I saw you last night."

Shaking her head slightly, causing her pigtail to sway behind her, she wryly agreed with his statement. "Okay, so that answers that, but what were you doing at Mizuharo University anyways", she continued with as they made their way. Oddly, she couldn't help but relax around Mamoru, as if she had known him for a while instead of just meeting him yesterday.

"I'm a student there, of course. I'm majoring in Journalism", he replied with a smile. "What about you, Ranko-san?"

Waving a hand dismissively, she told him, "Just call me Ranko. Anyways, I'm just accompanying Akane and Ranma while they register today."

"Ah", the short haired man responded before inquiring, "So, what is Ranma's major?"

Smirking, the redhead replied, "Phys Ed, what else?" Hearing that, Mamoru couldn't help but chuckle at that, knowing what he saw of Ranma yesterday. It just seemed to fit perfectly.

Still, with that line of conversation ended, the pair descended into silence as they continued walking. Mamoru was furiously trying to think of a way to start up the topics he really wanted to talk about without it sounding wrong. His musings were cut short when Ranma finally called his hand by asking, "So... what exactly _did_ you want to talk me about?"

'Well... it's now or never', he thought as he psyched himself up, "Actually, it's the fact that you remind me of someone. I swear, I've never seen you before yesterday but when I saw you... I couldn't help but think that I'd seen you a long time ago..." '...and then there's the fact that you seemed startled at seeing me, too!'

Without knowing it, the two had stopped along a nearby wall along the sidewalk as Ranma thought about what Mamoru had said for a moment. Figuring she had nothing to lose in being forthright with him, she chose to tell him the truth as she said, "Well, this is weird, cause you remind me of... someone, too. I know I've never seen you before, but ever since I saw you, I've been thinking of you..."

Even as Ranma's voice trailed off as she realized just how her words sounded, Mamoru found himself breaking out in a nervous sweat. After a moment, the redhead stepped back and waved her hands before her, "No, no, wait! I didn't mean it like that! I'm not in love with you or anything..." Taking a quick breath, her demeanor changed to a slightly more aggressive one as she demanded, "It's just that you look damn familiar and I want to know why!"

As Ranma testily waited for an answer; Mamoru mulled over whether to tell her or not. Truthfully, telling her that she might be his long lost sister from another life would make him out to be crazy, which he wasn't. Still, the odds of her being Akana reborn had risen drastically as he observed her mannerisms during their short conversation. He was still trying to decide whether or not to tell her when the decision was taken from him by the sounds of nearby screams of outrage and panic.

Snapping his awareness back to the real world, he looked around and cursed under his breath as he found himself just outside Juuban High. Then something slapped him across the face, he didn't see Ranko anywhere. Already looking on the same elevation as himself, he looked up and was surprised to find her atop the three meter tall wall that surrounded the high school which the screams were originating from. As he watched from below, he could make out the girl's expression darkening as she growled out a single word with so much disgust it was almost tangible:

"Happosai."

oOo

Even before her feet touched down on the top of the wall, Ranma could see the pandemonium clear as day on the field below as girls ran around in a panic. The scene was all too familiar to the Neriman, as she had seen it countless times during her time at Furinkan and the surrounding area in Nerima. Quickly spotting the expected lynch mob amidst the chaos, the redhead looked to the fleeing target as it bounced around merrily.

Even as she growled out his name unconsciously, she thought about all the times the perverted grandmaster of her style had made her life and other's a living nightmare. Really, she had hoped she had seen the last of him at the disaster of a first wedding she and Akane had, but it seemed the freak had moved on to greener pastures, so to speak. She was about to jump down and confront the wrinkled gnome when two figures that somehow matched the photos from the magazine she read on the train jumped in before her. Eyeing the pair, she called down to Mamoru, "Are those the Sailor Senshi?"

Mamoru, who had moved a few meters over to the main gate, looked in to see what Ranko was talking about. Still wondering how exactly the redhead had gotten up the three meter tall wall, he replied over the background noise, "Yes, they are or at least two of them, anyways!" Even as he called that out, he scanned the crowd for Moon or Venus, wondering, 'Where are they?' At least he knew Usagi was alright, feeling nothing through their empathic link.

His search was quickly interrupted by the girl he knew as Ranko when she called down once more, stating, "I hope they don't plan on stopping Happosai dressed in those short skirts." Looking up, he saw the girl shake her head in disappointment, which confused the man even more. Suddenly, it wormed its way into his mind that she kept calling that thing by a name. "Hey, do you know what that thing is?!"

Letting out a heavy sigh, Ranma responded back sullenly, "Unfortunately... 'Its' name is Happosai and he happens to be a perverted martial arts master from survives by leeching energy from girls by groping and stealing their underwear..."

"So he's human, then", Mamoru called up in confusion only to get a nod in reply, "So why are you worried about the Senshi? They've defeated numerous monsters that are surely more powerful than him."

Looking down at the man with a raised brow, she thought about how defensive he sounded but shrugged it off as unimportant. "Remember what I said about him leeching energy from girls? Well... those two are dressed like a wet dream come to life to him..." Snorting, she pointed to the encounter in question and added, "He'll go nuts when he finally gets over the shock..."

oOo

On the floor where the action was taking place the two Senshi rushed in with promises of pain in their eyes as they landed before the fleeing perverted master. As Mercury predicted, as soon as the two identifiable super heroines were noticed, the chaotic scramble around them seemed to be warded off as everyone gave the two Senshi and their target a wide birth. Happosai was in shock at the vision of beauty before him; two heavenly angels in short skirts and high heels... and better yet, they came to him instead of the other way around. So lost in his drooling stupor, the elderly martial artist almost failed to notice that the Senshi before him had decided to forego the usual introductory speech they usually gave, not that he had any prior experience with the Senshi before this anyways.

Still, the fact that the two call out their magical attacks with venom dripping from their voices gave Happosai just enough time to dodge out of the way, keeping him from getting electrocuted and flash froze at the same time. Cackling madly, the grandmaster's perverted little mind took two plus two and came up with seven when he deemed that the reason they were attacking him was because they felt left out since he hadn't given them any Happy loving. With a cry of "Sweeto", he flung himself towards the taller of the two and her twin orbs as his target.

Sailor Jupiter saw the little pervert heading her way and fired off another blast of lightning, which came close, but only managed to blow a chunk out of the ground behind the flying gnome. She tried to ready a second shot at it, but before she could build up the magic required to shoot off the blast, he was already moving at a speed that made her greased lightning seem slow. The next thing she knew, Happosai was latched onto her chest once more, snuggling in even more vigorously than before. Having had more than enough of the freak the first time, and not even wanting its attention then, a film of rage covered her eyes as she raised her hands to either side of his wrinkled old head. "Supreme...", she started out, powering up and trying to overcharge the attack if she could.

At that moment, Happosai paused in his loving attention to the female mounds beneath him. There wasn't much that would cause the old pervert to do that, but the weird feeling he was getting in his hair was apparently one of them. In reality, he had only felt this feeling once before in his long life and it had been when he was accidently shut into the dryer with his silky darlings at a foreign laundry mat. Then it hit him of what the feeling exactly was... static fluffiness.

"... Thunder!"

As Jupiter finished, the area was bathed in a blinding flash of an electrical storm centered on that one spot and shook the surrounding area with an enormous thunderclap.

oOo

Just moments prior to the blast that shook the area, Usagi and Minako skipped the last bits of the cleaning detail to investigate the commotion outside. Just as they reached the exit leading out to the front courtyard, Usagi saw Umino barreling towards it with camera in hand. Reaching out and halting his forward motion, the reincarnated moon princess questioned, "Umino! What's going on!?"

"You mean you don't know", he asked back in disbelief, "Some hentai monster raided the girl's locker and the Senshi are fighting it outside right now!"

"Senshi", Usagi cried out in surprise, as she looked towards her blonde cohort and absently releasing Umino who ran outside, "Come on, Minako! We've got to see what's going on!"

Nodding in agreement, Minako rushed through the doors with her princess, finding the a mass of students encircling an area as they watched the goings on. With a few pushes, shoves and well placed elbow jabs, the two girls made their way to the inside of the man made ring just in time to see Jupiter try and turn the hentai monster into a pile of electrified ash. When the flash cleared from everyone's eyes, however, it was clear that the attack had either failed as the creature jumped away just in the nick of time and was standing a few meters away from the human lightning cannon.

So captivated by the happenings of the fight, neither one noticed their communicators beeping on their person. Still keeping some of her wits about her though, Minako grabbed a hold of her liege's arm while saying, "Usagi, we need to go transform and help them!"

Whatever Usagi's reply might have been was lost as they both watched a familiar redheaded girl fall from an impossibly high leap to descend on the short creature while screaming out, "HAPPOSAI!"

Dumbfounded by what they just witnessed both blondes could only chorus a shaken, "Ranko?"

Surprised himself by the unexpected turn in the action, the perverted master barely escaped yet another attack on his health. The only reason he did so, was his body reacting on centuries of honed experience dealing with screaming women, as he leaped to the side just in time to see Ranma's fist plunge through where his body had been only a second before and continue on to create a small crater in the hard packed dirt. Even as his feet touched down in his new position, Ranma was drawing herself up to her full height and glowering at the shrunken freak, growling out loudly, "Happosai! It's bad enough you did this at Furinkan, I won't let you do this to girls who can't defend themselves!"

Behind the redhead, Jupiter had regained her focus after Ranma's quick display and reacted to her comment with an indignant, "Hey!", which the redhead ignored. Beside the tall Jovian Senshi, Mercury had her visor and computer out, scanning the redhead and the enemy known now as Happosai in greater detail.

Opening and closing his small hands in anticipation, which was clearly shown on his ancient face, the little man called out in delight, "My darling Ranma-chan! You came all this way to see me? It's been so long..." Pulling out a set of black lingerie, he added, "Here, take these as a gift!"

Narrowing her eyes in anger, her response was scathing, "Shut it, you old freak! Ya ain't going to do this again 'cause I'm sending ya to the hospital for a _long_ time!" Before he could say anything in response, Ranma's arms flashed forward as she cried out, "Moko Takabisha!" When a orb of shining golden energy shot out with the redhead's voice, five sets of eyes widened as they related the attack to one they had seen just yesterday.

The ki blast missed its mark, however, as the shrunken master of martial arts leapt forward and underneath the globe just before it dug into the dirt just past where he had originally been, kicking up a small cloud of dust and debris. Before the younger fighter could react, Happosai had closed the distance between the two and copped a quick feel of her ample assets before she was able to slash out with a back fist, driving him back once more. Narrowing her eyes, Ranma had to wonder, 'Did the freak get faster since last time? How the hell'd he do it?' Figuring it was pointless to ask, Ranma let out a quick battle cry and leapt forward to keep the slight initiative she created.

Soon, everyone watching was given a short display of two martial arts masters duking it out; their limbs barely visible and what could be seen was only blurs as kicks, punches, counters and blocks were thrown at top speed. Eventually, it came to a quick end as Happosai hopped over an extended leg but got caught by the other one in a flash spin roundhouse; getting flung over the human ring of observers and into the concrete wall that surrounded the schoolyard. Everyone but Ranma gawked when the resulting ruble started to shift and a dirty, but mostly unharmed, gnome stepped out of it.

Seeing the look of seriousness etched across the elder's face, Ranma set herself into a defensive stance even as he declared, "I'm getting tired of this, Ranma. I think you need a lesson in respect from your master!"

Snorting derisively, she called back through the gap in the crowd, "Yeah, right! You ain't my master and I need that lesson from you like the world needs another plague!"

Rather than respond to the insult, the master of Ranma's father chose to flicker his hand into his gi top. Moments later, the air between the two fighters was occupied by lit Happi-Daikarins, causing the recipient to fling herself to the side in an effort not to get hit. It was only after she was in mid air that Ranma realized the two of them weren't alone in the fight and were surrounded by noncombatants. Worried eyes twisted around as she watched the trajectory of the ki charged explosives, yelling, "Get out of here! They're gonna explode!"

In retrospect, it seemed that the word 'explode' was just the right keyword to knock the observing crowd out of their funk, unlike the lightning bolts and ki blast thrown out before. Just after the word got called, a collective panicked shriek escaped the people surrounding the fight as they scrambled to get away from the newly perceived danger. None of them got very far before the fuses finished burning out and cooked off the gunpowder inside, shaking everyone up with the resulting explosions but doing relatively little harm. The worse off were Usagi and Minako as they were jolted down to the ground by the shockwaves, having been the unlucky ones so close to the landing point of the bomblets.

Jerking her fury filled eyes to lock onto the shrunken martial arts master, Ranma yelled out, "What the hell are you doing?! There are innocents nearby and you almost hit them! Do you have any honor left, you bastard!?"

Jabbing a finger towards the furious pseudo-female, Happosai called back, "Oh, get over it! Those were weak and I wasn't aiming at _them_; I was aiming at _you_!" Crossing his arms, he quickly added in self justification, "Besides, if you had stayed still and taken your punishment like you were supposed to, this wouldn't have happened!" As he finished his last word, his hands flared out once more, throwing more of the ki charged firecrackers into the air. This time, though, Ranma could feel the greater ki charge than the one's prior had.

Adapting to the situation and knowing the fleeing innocents were still too close for Ranma to just dodge them, she started flashing out her limbs to bat the explosives high into the air where they would explode harmlessly. Unlike last time, though, not only were the bombs more powerful, they were more numerous than before and Ranma was only able to knock most of them into the sky. The few that got past her efforts landed well too close to the still downed blondes as they tried to gather their wits from the prior explosions.

Even as Jupiter saw the paper covered spheres land, she was screaming out in panic as she sprinted towards them, "Noooo! Usagi, get up!" It was at the same time, that Mamoru pulled a red rose out from inside his blazer and transformed into his tux clad alter-ego as he performed his own efforts to reach his beloved. As for Usagi herself, she was just able to shake off the shellshock when she heard Jupiter's voice cry out but her eyes failed to leave the explosives as they landed and rolled right up to her feet; locking her limbs in fright.

"Kuso!" The curse escaped Ranma's lips even as she bolted towards the vulnerable blondes. Knowing there wasn't much time left, as the fuses ate away at the last bit showing, she flashed a scathing glare towards Happosai before she seemed to blur from existence. The next spot where she became clear once more was when she seemed to materialize before the two shocked girls before she gathered them up in her arms and pushed off with her ki charged legs once more.

Explosions boomed into existence just on the tail of the fleeing redhead and her two charges. Usagi and Minako could clearly see the hot fireballs behind them, but were instead captivated by a much more important sight as they beheld the glowing sigil that brightly flared on Ranma's forehead; one of a full circle quartered by horizontal and vertical lines. So entranced by the sight, they never noticed that they were once more on terra firma and being handed off to Tuxedo Kamen, whom she felt she could trust for some reason beyond her.

Placing his hands on her shoulders, the black and white clad male asked in concern, "Usako, are you alright?!"

Blinking a few times, the odango haired girl shook herself sentient and answered, "I'm alright..." Usagi then locked with the masked man's eyes and said, "Mamo-chan, I saw it! I really saw it!"

Looking more than a bit confused, he asked back, "You saw what, Usako?" When his love replied back with an energetic, "Her sigil", he blinked in surprise before questioning it, "Are you sure?"

"Yes", the blonde answered back, a little put off, "It looked just like the one Ami showed us. Ask, Minako, she saw it too!"

With his eyes widening in realization of what this fact meant, the transformed Mamoru never even noticed Jupiter and Mercury run up to check on their princess. He was too involved with watching the ongoing fight between Happosai and the girl who had just been confirmed to be his newly rediscovered sister.

oOo

By the time Ranma had reengaged Happosai, the sigil had faded away once more. Throwing a lightning fast combination towards the perverted master, she growled out, "Why'd you attack them, freak?!"

"_I_ didn't attack them; _you_ dodged my attack, whelp! Anyways, I've grown tired of your interference, Ranma. I can't even share my affection with the fine girls of Tokyo without you showing up and getting in the way", he countered back, both physically and verbally.

"And that's supposed to be a bad thing", Ranma mocked as she hopped over a low kick and threw out her own palm strike.

Smirking malevolently, Happosai pondered, "I think it's time I taught you your place and who's the real master of the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu."

"Yeah, right", the redhead snorted out in response, "I've gotten better over the past year, unlike Oyaji."

"Is that so", the smaller of the two wondered out loud as he quickly reached in to goose her left breast, "So why was I able to get a good feel without you blocking it unlike back then?" Smiling with her growl of disgust, he wiggled his fingers suggestively as he said, "Beaches make wonderful training grounds, you know..."

With Happosai's last sentence, Ranma developed a very pronounced eye twitch as she thought about how he would have 'trained' at the beach. A very feminine screech of rage escaped the redheaded martial artist as she declared, "That's it, you little freak! I'm gonna give you a world of pain!" Lashing out with a strong right, she blurred through where her target was a moment before, embedding her fist into the wall behind him before jerking it out of the crumbling rubble. Never one to give up, Ranma dashed forward once more, only this time instead of dodging the attack, the elder fighter pulled out his pipe and flung the girl through the air towards the border wall on the other side of the schoolyard. With the added momentum from a flick of his wrist, he managed to get Ranma to completely blow through the wall, causing it to crumble and pile up on top of her.

Seeing this in action, Tuxedo Kamen yelled out in distress as he prepared to run in an assist his sister. He had barely willed a rose into his waiting and cocked hand when Mercury grabbed his arm and called to him, "Tuxedo Kamen, wait!"

"Let go, Mercury! I have to save her", he urgently told her as he tugged his arm loose. He halted his movements though, when she yelled at him, "She's okay!" Scrunching his brow, he looked at the resident genius of the Senshi in confusion, "What?!"

"She means that", Jupiter replied in her stead, jerking him around by the shoulder while pointing out towards the shifting ruble. Climbing out of the dust and the debris, Ranma coughed and spit out a glob of muddy gunk from her mouth. As she shook her head quickly, dirt fell from her loose and wild hair before falling to rest down her back. 'Great', she mentally groused with a sigh, 'must have lost the string in that stuff... at least I don't need it anymore.'

The tuxedo clad hero barely kept his feet, fighting the urge to fall to his knees, as the girl before him now completely looked like the visions of his sister that had plagued his dreams. It was during the slight break in the action that Sailor Mars finally made her way towards the encounter, coming to a stop near the rest of the Senshi team. "What's going on!? I felt something from the shrine and got here as fast as I could", she asked out to her team.

"_That's_ what's going on here, Mars", Jupiter responded, pointing at the two combatants that were preparing to go at it once more. "They've been going at it for a while now and she's doing a better job than we could", she admitted with a pang of annoyance at her own shortcomings.

Blinking at the uncharacteristic words coming from the team brawler, Mars looked out and blinked again when she saw who was fighting. "Uh... isn't that Ranko", she asked, not sure of what she saw. Seeing the nods in the corner of her vision, she continued by commenting, "Wow, she looks just like Akana without the pigtail."

"That's because she is Akana! Usagi and I saw her sigil", Minako blurted out in response.

Shocked with that revelation, Mars looked towards the blonde about to say something else, but was cut off as her senses felt the buildup of energy on the nearby battlefield. Hissing loudly, she locked onto the shrunken master of the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu and declared, "If that isn't a demon, it's too close for comfort!" Pointing at it, she added, "That has to be what I felt at the shrine!"

oOo

Back on the field, Ranma had just finished throwing out another ki blast to make an opening, which Happosai dodged easily from the distance involved. It was only a short skirmish between the two before the redhead was once more thrown back to roll along the dirt for a second before regaining her feet. 'Kuso', Ranma cursed in her mind, 'I can slow him down if I can just get a good shot on him, but he's too freaking fast to get that hit in!'

Even as she looked into the smirking pervert's face and growled, her mind was analyzing the moves she knew for something that might work and give her the edge she needed to put Happosai down for at least a while. While she was unconsciously performing this feat, the source of her ire taunted at her, "Well, Ranma, is that the best you can do?"

"You want to know what I can do, old freak", she yelled back with venom over the short distance as her brain finished its formulation on a plan of action, "How about you dodge this?" Thrusting her arms forward, a large orb of ki flashed into existence before her right before her arms started blurring, "Moko Takabisha Revised: Kensha Happa Dan!"

Happosai just eyed his pupil's child oddly up until his eyes shot wide when he realized why exactly the large ki sphere was wavering. 'He's disrupting the thing with the Amaguriken', he thought just as it exploded into a swarm of miniature ki orbs... which were all flying in his direction at a high rate of speed. "Kuso", the elderly hentai cursed out as he flung his aged body out of the way, twisting in mid air to avoid most of the attack, but not all as several orbs exploded in ki flares on his small body. The only thing saving him from taking even more damage from the innovative attack was the fact that Ranma wasn't expecting the harsh backlash which threw her backwards and spoiled her aim.

Even still, the hurt and aged Happosai found himself flying through the air to tumble along the ground before finally sliding to a stop. When he finally flipped himself over onto his back, a vision of loveliness awaited him as he found himself looking up the skirt of the nubile Sailor Mars. Mars was warned only by a quick, "Hotcha", before the little pervert leapt from the ground and straight to her undefended bosom, as she was still shocked from seeing Ranko's display of ki skill. Feeling the added weight on her chest, she realized the shrunken thing was really an old perverted man as he said, "Thanks for helping out an old man in his time of need, hot stuff!"

Gaining a face that only an outraged woman can acquire, she pulled out a ward from her subspace pocket and slapped it onto the pervert's forehead while firing off a quick chant, "Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, sai, zen! Akuryoo Taisan!" The result of her efforts wasn't exactly what she was expecting, but none the less, it was very satisfying as Mars saw Happosai leap from her chest to run around in circles, all the while screaming in pain. Instead of banishing the evil spirits that she thought had possessed the hentai, it felt to him like someone had jammed a red hot poker straight into his brain. Smirking at her success, Mars felt she should add insult to injury and fired off a quick, "Burning Mandala!"

Ranma was just picking herself up off the ground and shaking her head clear from the backlash when the wave of fire hit the aged hentai. Blinking at the sight, a grin formed on her lips as she mentally gave a whoop of joy. Not wanting to waste a moment, she sped at the burning pervert, starting the spiral which she had used on him once before in their history of battles. Happosai was too involved with successfully pulling off the burning seal and trying to put out the flames to notice until he heard Ranma's voice break through his funk when she warned everyone to, "Watch out!"

By the time he realized what was going on, he knew it was too late to do anything about it, as she called out to him, "Hope you have a crappy flight, old letch. And don't come back!" Caught between trying to put out the flames and getting caught in the expected attack, or grounding himself while getting burned, Happosai cursed. That curse went unheard as it was overshadowed by Ranma finishing the technique with by firing off an uppercut into empty air and calling out, "Hiryuu Shoten Ha!"

The Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen all blinked as the girl apparently missed the burning pervert. A moment later, they were forced to brace themselves as a torrent of circular winds sprang up around Happosai and Ranma in a miniature tornado. It only lasted a few seconds, but before it ended the diminutive martial arts master was shot out the top of the vortex like a tumbling cannonball well past their line of sight into the horizon. Almost an instant later, the vunnel of dust and debris cleared as the winds died down, reveling a dirty, but still in one piece, redhead.

oOo

As the winds died around her, Ranma couldn't help but smiling. 'Beat the freak one more time and made a new technique...', she mentally counted before nodding, 'Yeah, definitely a good fight!' Brushing the dust off her shirt and pants, she tallied up the property damage from the fight and winced slightly, 'Well, it's not as bad as back in Nerima...' It was while she was looking around that she noticed the two blondes standing by the tux clad man and the Sailor Senshi. Walking over to the group, she asked, "Hey, are you two okay?"

Seeing them nod numbly, Ranma figured they were both still shell shocked from the explosives Happosai almost hit them with... twice. She was about to turn towards the tuxedo wearing man but something registered in her mind, causing her to peer closely at the two through narrowed eyes, "Hey... Weren't you two at the Hikawa Shrine last night?"

Hearing that caused Usagi to startle a bit, wondering how much of an impression she gave in the few minutes they saw each other at the shrine. Then it hit her that the girl before her probably remembered because of Luna and Artemis more than anything, "Oh, um... yes, that's us." Fighting with herself over what she should say next, she said on instinct, "Um... sorry about Luna and Artemis... we didn't know..."

This caused the redhead to blink for a second before she waved it off, "Aw, don't worry about it. You didn't know, so it ain't your fault." Looking around a bit, she inquired, "Hey, any of you guys seen Mamoru? You know, tall guy, black hair?" Due to her search, she never saw Tuxedo Kamen flinch behind her.

"Umm... why are you looking for Mamo-chan", Usagi reflexively asked.

Raising an eyebrow, Ranma repeated, "Mamo-chan?"

"Yeah", Usagi replied happily, "Mamo-chan's my boyfriend!" Hearing this, the rest of the Senshi and the transformed Mamoru himself all let out a mental groan at the actions of their liege.

Still keeping her brow quirked, Ranma thought, 'Mamoru's dating a high school student? He's got to be at least four years older than her!' Out loud, though, she tried to regain her footing, "Uh...well, alright then... Anyways, I was talking to him before this mess started. You know where he went?"

Feeling the need to jump in and save everyone a lot of trouble, Tuxedo Kamen responded, "I saw him directing some of the fleeing students to safety when the fight started. After that..."

"Damn", Ranma cursed in response under her breath. Letting out a sigh, she continued louder, "Great, now I've got to find him again!"

In a rare moment of brilliance, Usagi quickly formed a plan and chimed in, "You won't have to look for him, Ranko-san. I'll have him meet you at the Hikawa shrine in half an hour."

Blinking at her good fortune, Ranma asked, "You'll do that?" Seeing the blonde nod her head while smiling, the redhead thought about how Akane would be busy for a few hours still before flashing a smile back while saying, "That's great! Tell him I'll be there!" Just as she was turning away, though, Ranma thought about something an added a little jokingly, "Heh, just make sure there aren't any cats this time..." Without waiting for a reply, the martial artist did an amazing standing leap over the nearby perimeter wall and was gone from sight.

Almost immediately after Ranko was gone and everyone got over her style of exit, Usagi was bombarded by questioning looks and was about to be flooded with verbal inquires until they noticed students silently sticking their heads out from behind cover to see if the coast was clear. Realizing that she and Minako were still in their civilian forms, she hissed out, "Look, I'll explain later, just get over to the shrine before she does!"

With one last round of dubious looks, the hero and heroines vacated the recent battlegrounds to do just that. Watching them make their way along the roofs until they were out of sight, Usagi sighed and turned to Minako and said, "I hope I'm doing the right thing..."

Minako never got to answer as the pair were deluged by questions from Umino and the surrounding students for having interacted with the famed Sailor Senshi...

oOo

It was only a little later that all the Inner Senshi and Mamoru were standing around at the Hikawa Shrine awaiting the arrival of Ranko. Luna and Artemis were also in attendance and both were being very vocal about their charges' adventure at the school earlier. The fact that both of them had been nearly injured while still in their civilian forms almost made the two moon cats shed their fur off right then and there when they found out. When the Senshi told them how Ranko had arrived and fought off this 'Happosai', they were understandably disbelieving, but with everyone, including Mamoru, in agreement, they couldn't discount the tale.

Still, when Luna heard about her princess' plan to 'spring the news' on the newly rediscovered Senshi of Terra, she felt unsure about the validity of the plan. Of course, she couldn't write off the fact that her feelings might just be the fact that it was Usagi who thought it up in the first place that had her fearful of enacting it. Choosing to be cautious just in case, the black feline asked yet again, "Usagi, are you sure you want to do this?"

Sighing in exasperation, the blond princess frowned down at her advisor, "Listen, Luna. Minako and I both saw the sigil. That means, unless she can fake one, Ranko is Sailor Terra. Now, we all we need is her henshin rod, which _you're_ supposed to give us, and then we're all set!"

Looking at her charge indignantly, Luna muttered, "I still say Artemis and I should talk to her first."

Minako snorted before commenting, "Right, we really need her to run for the mountains like yesterday." Crossing her arms before her and looking slightly smug, while ignoring the sighs around her, she continued by saying, "As risky as Usagi's plan sounds, it's the only choice we have. You heard Akane, we don't need her going insane while we try and awaken her."

Grumbling a bit under her breath, the cat surrendered eventually, "All right. I'll give you her henshin rod, but Artemis and I will be hidden nearby to watch." Sighing, she looked over to her white furred co-advisor and muttered, "It's going to be inconvenient if we can't talk to her..." Seeing the male feline give her a 'nothing we can do about it' shrug, she sighed once more before performing the back flip which would summon the rod.

When the rod appeared, Usagi eagerly snatched it out of the air before it could rattle to the floor. Meanwhile, Makoto was looking over Ami's shoulder to view the screen on the computer she held. "What are you doing", she asked.

"I'm analyzing the data I collected during that battle between Ranko and Happosai", she explained as she tapped a few commands into the small device. Raising a brow, she asked out to no one in particular, "Did you know that at one point, she threw over a hundred punches in less than five seconds?"

Hearing this, the others gathered around blinked in surprise and disbelief. "That can't be real... you're computer has to be broken or something", Rei denied, not believing Ranko could perform that feat even as she saw the use of ki right before her just earlier. Yes, ki could do some amazing things, in theory, but punching that fast just isn't physically possible... wasn't it?

"I've already run multiple diagnostics and every one of them says the Mercury Computer is fine. I have to believe what it's telling me, Rei", Ami returned as she showed her a screen of all green boxes which Rei could barely make out amongst the other clutter. Pulling back the device, the resident genius asked, "Anyways, did any of you notice anything wield?"

Snorting, Makoto crossed her arms under her chest, "I saw a lot of 'weird' things today. Want to narrow it down a little, Ami?"

Looking up from her display to blink at the taller Senshi, she said, "Well, did you notice the fact that Ranko and this Happosai knew each other."

"Yeah, we all know that", the brunette responded, no knowing where the Senshi of ice was going with this.

"What about the fact that he kept calling her 'Ranma' instead of Ranko", she asked with a raised brow. "That's not to mention her rather sloppy language."

Quirking her own brow while giving off a shrug, Makoto answered back, "Maybe she just talks that way when under stress... I don't know." Thinking about the first point, she brought a finger to her lips and tapped it there a couple times before continuing, "As for the name thing, I do remember him calling her Ranma, but maybe it's just because she's a tomboy. I mean, she dresses sort of like Ranma does and the old fool was defiantly off his rocker, so..." She let her reasoning trail off as they both moved over towards Usagi and Minako.

While Usagi was holding up Terra's henshin rod to the Senshi of love, the second blonde was asking her, "...but does she really need a power boost? She seemed enough already."

"It isn't just a power boost", Ami cut in on the conversation in progress, "There's also the disguise field that comes with the transformation magic. If Ranko is going to go around fighting with us, she really needs to do it as Sailor Terra or else people might figure out who we are through her. Not to mention the amount of unwanted attention she would receive from the public and media."

"But still", Minako continued on her original thread, "if she's this powerful now, what is she going to be like after she transforms? We all saw her fight in against the little pervert and right now, she could probably wipe the floor with any of us, even if we powered up." Shaking her head, she added, "And that's not counting that shiny ball of butt punching and tornado thing she has."

Groaning loudly, Makoto had to cut in and correct her cohort, "That's 'butt kicking' not 'butt punching', Minako."

"Those were ki techniques", Rei's voice broke out for the first time, causing everyone to look at where she sat on the steps.

"Okay, but they're still going to be stronger when she transforms, right", Minako asked, a little confused.

Ami typed into her computer while giving a detailed answer, "Not exactly, Minako. When we transform, all our powers use mana, so are magical in nature. Those ki techniques Ranko used are spiritual in nature, from the readings I gathered. If that's the case, she might be able to use them more often due to the magical healing, but they won't be stronger in power." Figuring she would answer the question before it was asked, she added, "As for what mana based powers she might have, I don't know. Endymion has some psychokinetic powers along with some healing ability, which we witnessed when he healed Chibi-Usa, but if his sister might have anything like that, I couldn't tell you."

Hearing Ami talking about his powers while in his Endymion form, Mamoru felt an itch in the back of his mind as another repressed memory came to the fore. After it filtered through his mind, he frowned as he was reminded of something called a 'psy-tech' but other than the name and what it could be just based off the name, he had no idea. Really, it was becoming quite annoying for the college student, but his musings were cut short as another feeling broke through, like someone was watching him. As he looked around for the unseen observer, Usagi's voice confidently declared, "We don't need to know what powers she has as long as she's a helpful addition to the team!"

Trying not to destroy her friend's confidence, Minako asked, "But how will Luna awaken her memories if she can't go near her?"

"You can leave that to me", Rei informed them, standing up and brushing off her miko garb, "Luna has already shown me how to perform the Luna Mind Meld. Since it's basically hypnotism and being a priestess has taught me many things in the way of trances, I think I can pull it off."

Rei's demeanor lacked the sure confidence of her words unfortunately, but any further conversation was broken off when Ami's computer chimed out and she declared, "She's here."

Everyone looked over in time to see the gate creak open at the base of the steps, admitting a familiar redhead into the shrine. Almost immediately, Ranma looked up to see the gathered girls and Mamoru, the cats having hidden themselves away at the warning. As she started up the stairs, Ranma looked over each of the girls warily before stopping on Mamoru, feeling a strong feeling of... something. She didn't know why, but she knew, even before she had entered the gates to the shrine, that he was already inside.

After a moment of looking towards the taller man, Ranko relaxed and chuckled with slight nervousness as she addressed the gathered girls, "Okay, no need to look like that, girls. I just need to speak privately with Mamoru for a bit."

Usagi looked like she wanted to say something, but before she could Mamoru stepped forward and gestured towards the shrine proper, "We can go to the inner courtyard, Ranko. We shouldn't be bothered there." He finished speaking with a quick meaningful glance at all the gathered Senshi. Seeing this, they all nodded meekly, including Usagi who was chewing on her bottom lip. This wasn't a part of her plan, but it was too late now...

oOo

As the pair walked through the entrance chamber towards the inner courtyard, Mamoru spoke up to his companion, saying, "Sorry about the reception out there. They're just interested in you a lot, to say the least."

Raising a brow, Ranma asked back, "Oh? And why's that?"

Chuckling a bit, he replied with, "Well, you did save the life of two of them just an hour ago and the way you handled that pervert speaks wonders about your skills as a martial artist. All the elements for High School gossip, don't you think?"

Mamoru watched the effects of a little ego stroking along with plausible sounding reasons do their magic on his un-awakened sister as she nodded in response. Seeing she wasn't too suspicious at the moment, he decided to open up the conversation, "So, now I guess you're wondering about the two of us, right?"

"Pretty much", Ranma said in response.

"Let me guess", the raven haired man said, taking a quick breath, "You've been having weird dreams recently and I'm in them somehow."

Stopping just before exiting the building into the courtyard, Ranma turned and looked Mamoru in the face with a piercing gaze while crossing her arms before her, "And how did you know that?"

Exhaling slightly, he responded with, "Because I've been having the same dreams."

Closing her eyes and placing the fingers of one hand to her forehead, Ranma took a breath to keep her calm. 'No need to panic yet! Keep your cool, Ranma', she said in her mind before asking in a level tone, "You mind telling me _why_ we've been dreaming about each other, especially since we've never met before yesterday?"

Nervously pulling at the collar of the blue shirt under his blazer, Mamoru failed to answer and instead asked another question, "In your dreams... what am I wearing?"

Dropping her hand and looking at the man with narrow eyes, she debated answering, but eventually said, "You're wearing some kind of armor. It's black and silver..." Her voice trailed off as she saw him start nodding as if it all made sense now. "What?"

Taking a deep breath, Mamoru looked her straight in the eye and said, "I know this is going to sound crazy... but it appears we've been having dreams of a past life... sister." As he said this, he waited for what kind of reaction the redhead before him might give, though he really wasn't expecting her to give a deep sigh, close her eyes and place a hand on her forehead while muttering, "I really don't need this..."

Opening her blue eyes to look into his own set of blue, she confidently declared, "Look... Mamoru, I can't be your sister... I mean, I'm an only child, for one..."

Her words trailed off as she saw him shake his head before saying, "Not in this life. We were brother and sister in the one before this."

Again, Ranma let out a groan as she let her head drop. 'At least he didn't say we were past lovers...', she admitted, though she didn't know how much better this was at the moment. Then, blinking for a second, she raised her gaze back up and asked, "Wait... How do you know that? I mean, where's the proof?" Inwardly, she was wanting to tell him, 'I can't be your sister cause I'm a guy. I might have gotten used to being a girl some of the time, but I'm still a guy!'

Sighing in resignation, Mamoru nodded silently as he pulled out a red rose from inside his blazer and silently willed himself into his Tuxedo Mask guise. Ranma's eyes went wide as she saw the transformation, pointing a finger at him and saying in disbelief, "You're him. You're that guy from the school..."

Nodding solemnly, he affirmed, "I'm afraid so, but there's more..." With a greater amount of effort, Mamoru concentrated and summoned his armor, becoming Endymion. Letting out a breath, he looked over to his sister as she gapped at him for a second before questioningly whispering, "Endymion?"

It was Endymion's turn to flash his eyes wide as he looked into Ranma's eyes and asked, "You remember?" Seeing her still confused and shocked expression, he explained, "Endymion was my name in our previous life."

Giving herself a shake and regaining some measure of control, she asked him, "How... How can you do that?"

"The same way we can do this", a third voice broke in from behind her, causing Ranma to jerk around to find Usagi and the others standing on the other side of the entrance room. Before the redhead could react, all five raised a rod of some type into the air and called out a phrase before a burst of light flashed around them and the Sailor Senshi were standing in their place.

Looking from one to the next, Ranma finally made it to the end where she asked in surprise, "Rei? You're a Sailor Senshi?!"

Flushing a bit while looking apologetic, Ranma's cousin responded by saying, "It's Sailor Mars when I'm like this, Ranko." Looking around out of reflex, she requested, "Please don't tell Ranma about this..."

Blinking for a second, Ranma almost revealed himself but caught herself mid word, "But I'm... ah... What does all this have to do with me?!"As if to answer the question, Sailor Moon tossed something to her and called her to catch it, which she did. When she looked at what was thrown to her, she found a rod that was similar to the ones used by the five Senshi before her to... transform... Realizing this, a bad feeling started to form in the bottom of Ranma's gut. "What do you expect me to do with this thing", she asked, hoping she wasn't right.

Sailor Moon affirmed her guess when she said, "Just raise it up and say the first thing that comes to mind."

For some reason, be it the feel of the rod in her hand, the recent fight or something in the blonde super heroine's voice, Ranma's body unconsciously followed along, raising the rod into the air above her. Her mouth opened up, vocal cords ready to say words she didn't know she knew; when her conscious mind regained control of the situation. "No", she finally said, lowering her arm back down.

Expecting an entirely different set of events to happen, it took a moment for Sailor Moon to realize what was really going on. When she finally did, she asked in confusion, "But why not? You're one of us!"

"Maybe", Ranma admitted with a shrug, "But I've had enough trouble in my life and I don't need this on top of it." Shaking her head, she added, "I don't need this." While Moon was franticly trying to think of a way to fix things, the redhead turned violently around to jab a finger at Endymion's chest plate, "And you! You still don't have any proof that I'm your sister."

"You've had dreams of the past", the armored figure protested, "We both have! You know it's true!"

"Bullshit", she loudly rejected his reasoning while poking him once more, "Dreams don't mean shit!"

Getting incited by the redhead's reaction and rejection, Endymion chose a different tactic, "What about the rod? You were about to use it just a moment ago. If you weren't my sister then you wouldn't have a clue of how to use it!"

"Uh, hello, tin-can man", Ranma replied, getting more than a little annoyed while waving a hand at the Senshi observing the fight between siblings, "I just saw all five of them do it. Wasn't that hard to notice with the flashing lights and all." Shaking her head once more, she declared confidently, "Look, I ain't your sister, alright."

Moon could only watch the back and forth match, along with the rest of the girls. She almost stepped in between the two until Mars put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head. Now, she could only watch as her beloved raised his voice and continue on. "The only way you could prove that is if the rod didn't work for you", he stated before crossing his arms and adopting a smug look, "but you won't try it because you're too scared to."

Endymion knew he had her when Ranma's eye developed a pronounced twitch just before she yelled in his face, "Scared? Scared!? I ain't scared of nothing! I'll prove I'm not your freaking sister!" With that, she thrust the rod in her hands up into the air and yelled out, "Terra Star Power... Henshin!"

Just after she yelled that out, Endymion could see her eyes flare wide as she realized what she had done and before the multicolored lights enveloped her for the first time in this lifetime, he clearly heard her whisper, "Chikuso!"

End of Chapter 7

oOo

A/N -

- Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu: What is translated by Viz as the "Anything-Goes Style" could also be interpreted as "School of Indiscriminate Grappling"

- Rensha-Happa-Dan: Rapid Fire Blasting Bullet/ Rapid Fire Explosive Blast Missile

- Happo Daikarin: Small round fireworks which Happosai fills with ki before lighting and throwing at his target. Sometimes a large firework, but not seen in this fight scene.


	8. Chapter 8

**Fated Pasts, Chaotic Future**

A Ranma ½ and Sailor Senshi crossover Fanfic

Written by: Konsaki

This Fanfic was inspired by and uses source material from 'Lines of Destiny', a dead Fanfic created by Louis-Philippe Giroux.

oOo

As the lightshow that signaled a transformation broke out, Sailor Moon and the rest of the Inner Senshi took a step back reflexively. The completely unorthodox way the transformation was triggered, namely by Endymion tricking an annoyed redhead into performing it, left the reaction of the new Senshi in extreme doubt. In almost an omen of things to come, the floor beneath the transforming girl exploded upward, obscuring the transformation for the split second it took place, only to fall back down into nothingness as it revealed Sailor Terran standing on the undamaged surface in its wake.

As they watched for any odd reactions from the new Senshi, they noted she wore the standard white bodysuit they all wore, but her colors were of a dual nature; they being gold and a deep blue. Her skirt showed that nature with it being blue with a gold trim along the bottom, while the bow on her chest was golden with a dark blue jewel centered in it. Her long red hair rolled down her back while, through her bangs, a golden tiara could be seen on her forehead with a bright tiger's eye set in it. Where the standard Senshi gear ended was the noticeable golden glow that surrounded the still shell shocked Terra.

It was only after a long moment before she blinked and finally became somewhat active, though her actions seemed to show her still shocked state as she looked down at herself to see her new attire. After softly tugging at the edges of her new skirt, Terra lifted one of her dark blue knee-length lace boots and ran a hand along the golden laces for a second. Setting that down after a moment, she felt the stone set in the tiara on her forehead while simultaneously running a gloved hand through her unrestrained hair.

As her body ran on autopilot, cataloging all the changes, her mind was trying to hold some semblance of control as she fought the urge to panic or cause bodily harm... or both. 'Ok, it's not that bad, right? I'm only just transformed into a magical girl and some guy in platemail is only telling me that I'm his sister. Heh, that's not that bad... I mean, I'm not stuck in girl form now...', she tried to reassure herself, even as images from her past life started to flood her mind.

Sitting beside Endymion by the lake; talking to Aunty Terra over tea; dancing at one of Serenity's balls... they just kept coming and coming.

Opening her eyes to the real world once more, as the images continued to flash by, she saw the Senshi before her and knew them... but she didn't. She saw someone to her side... Endymion... he was her only brother... the one she trusted... but she didn't know him... she knew everything about him...

"Kyaaaa!"

The scream that breached Terra's lips as she suddenly grabbed her head as if in pain, shocked everyone present. So much so, in fact, that when she immediately followed the scream by bolting out the door to the shrine and fled the property only Endymion had the sense of mind to give chase as he yell out, "Akana! Wait!"

The voice of her beloved yelling out seemed to snap Moon out of her shocked funk, enabling her to start her feet after the siblings not long after. It took Luna coming out from her hiding place and yelling, "What are you waiting for!? Go after them", for the remaining four Senshi to snap out of their own stupor; it took them no more prompting after that.

It didn't take the four of them long to catch up to Moon as she stood at a set of crossroads, looking at each of the three directions with trepidation. Looking back at the arriving Senshi, she threw her arms out in an exasperated motion, "This is great! Now I've lost them! We'll never find them now!"

Puffing slightly with breathlessness, Mercury flipped down her visor and notified Moon, "No we haven't. I'm tracking them with my computer."

Nodding appreciatively, the odango haired heroine demanded, "Alright then. Where are they?"

Tapping her computer a few times, she grimaced as lines of distance showed up in her hud, "How can he be catching up to her at that speed?"

"What are you talking about", Makoto asked in confusion.

Sighing at the information she was receiving, she responded while pointing down one of the streets, "Let's just say we have a long way to go just to catch up to where they are now..."

Nodding at what Mercury was saying, Moon threw out an arm dramatically, "Let's go!" A moment later, she was leading her Senshi in a mad dash to find her newest Senshi...

oOo

'How the hell does he keep doing that', Terra thought in frustration as she ran down the sidewalk before hopping over a parked yatai. The pedestrians in her way quickly made a path before her, and when they didn't, she leapt over them. Turning a quick corner, she ran down an alleyway to the next side street before making another turn down a main road. As she ran, she wondered how the boots and their two inch heels let her move like she was still in her normal martial artist shoes, but she wasn't going to bad mouth a good thing... sort of...

Feeling a tingling in the back of her mind, she swore one again before looking back to find the familiar stranger in silver armor turning a corner once more. 'What do I have to do to lose this guy', Terra asked herself as she banked hard around another building and hopped over the two meter fence that surrounded the transportation yard like it wasn't there. Even as she hopped over the other side fence, Endymion was landing from the first one. This time, he was close enough to make out that a glowing golden aura was surrounding him as well.

"Kuso", she cursed once more, this time vocally as she found the street ahead flooded with pedestrians and was forced to turn down yet another alleyway. 'What the hell is this aura?! Is that why he keeps finding me?! How the hell do I turn it off', she cried out in frustration in her mind.

//You can't. Not when Endymion's like that, anyways//, a voice inside Terra's head answered, causing her to almost flub a landing as she jumped over a parked delivery van. The voice laughed a little before commenting, //You've forgotten that that was one of his favorite tricks! You could _never_ hide from him when he wanted to find you."//

Quickly regaining her footing, the sailor suited martial artist jerked her head around to try and find the speaker while she kept up her pace. The voice seemed to sound like her own, but was obviously tinged with mild amusement. Not seeing anyone nearby, she complained out, "Great, now I'm hearing things... Maybe I'm finally going insane!"

//Well, you _are_ talking to yourself, in a way, but I can tell you that you _aren't_ insane by any means, Ranma//, the voice countered in her head.

Even as she furrowed her brow in preparations to talk back to... whatever the voice was, Terra felt the tingling in the back of her mind that she figured out heralded Endymion's presence. 'Freaking fantastic! So I can't lose him then...', she groused out mentally as she looked around. 'Screw it, I'll see what he wants then tell him to leave me the hell alone', she decided a she reached a six story apartment building that had some balconies on the outside. Gearing for a jump to the third floor and then the top, Terra folded her legs underneath her and shot up. She almost fell on her face as she found herself above the roof by a good three meters at the apex of her leap, but managed to salvage it into a not so perfect three point landing. "What the hell was that", the wide eyed Senshi asked out to the open air.

//Oh... I guess you've forgotten the advantages to being a Senshi too...//, the mysterious voice lamented.

Tiring of the nameless being that was invading her mind, she yelled out, "Who the hell are you!"

If it were possible, Terra felt the voice raise a brow in response before responding, //I'm you, of course. Or at least, a part of who you used to be, anyways.// While the statement did nothing to reassure Terra, she tried to ignore the voice, quite unsuccessfully at that, to concentrate on the plate wearing pursuer behind her. As she felt him getting closer, she failed to notice her aura dimming into nothingness.

oOo

Endymion could tell that his sister was trying to lose him. Really, he would have to be blind not to notice it and, in fact, she had succeeded multiple times... at least temporarily. Every time he lost sight of her, something in the back of his mind would tell him which way to go and he'd wind up on her trail once more and gain on the fleeing Terra. It was pretty uneventful, for a chase through downtown Juuban during mid afternoon. With no one getting hurt and nothing damaged by their passing, the only moment that Endymion felt any true panic was when his sister seemed to have trouble during one of her leaps, though she completed the maneuver and continued on without a hitch. It wasn't until she leapt to the roof of a six story building that he noticed that she was keeping the chase relatively low to the ground.

Somehow knowing she was at the top waiting for him, the armor clad swordsman braced himself and performed his own gravity defying leap to the top. When he landed, he was graced with the fuku clad figure of his sister, arms crossed and scowl etched on her features. "Alright, Endymion... why are you following me?"

Blinking as the question stumped him for a moment, he responded to his sister reborn, "I followed because I'm worried about you, Akana."

With an eye twitch, Terra growled out, "Don't call me Akana! That's not my name!" Taking a breath, she waved a hand towards him while continuing, "And why the hell are you worried? I was fine before you tricked me into using that freaking rod."

Quirking his brow, Endymion couldn't figure out why Aka... Ranko was acting this way to finding out she was a Sailor Senshi. From what she heard about the other girls, they might not have been overjoyed at it, but they didn't scream like Ranko did and start a less than merry chase through the city. "Look... I'm sorry for tricking you, but it proves that you're my sister. She's the only one that could have used it", he tried to tactfully explain.

Hearing that, Terra raised a finger as it to jab it at him while taking a few steps towards him before she halted mid step. To the Earth prince who witnessed the action, it looked like the redhead was listening to someone that he couldn't hear. The moment quickly passed though and she finished crossing the distance with narrowed eyes and jabbed her finger at his breast plate while saying, "I don't care! The stupid rod doesn't mean shit! Now listen here, 'cause I'm going to make things real clear: For years, I've put up with people trying to kill me or marry me... sometimes both. I've had weird shit happen to me all my life and now, for the first time in a long time, I've finally got some freaking control over it. I. Do. Not. Need. This. Shit." She compounded her last words with a jab into his armor with each one, rocking him back slightly with each impact. For a brief moment her eyes unfocused like before and when they came back into focus, she growled out in emphasis, "And I'm not you're freaking sister. I'm no one's sister, got that?"

Mentally thrown off his feet by Terra's tirade, Endymion tried to regain his footing by asking, "What kind of weirdness? Maybe we can help you out... after all; we've fought our fair share of strange creatures as well."

"He has a point, you know", a third voice, one Endymion could hear at least, broke in. As the two siblings turned towards it, they saw Sailor Moon standing on the rooftop with the rest of the Senshi flanking her, some more out of breath than others.

As Terra looked on at Moon, her eyes lost focus once more. After a moment, they snapped back in and she jabbed the finger she had just finished prodding Endymion with towards Moon. "You", she growled out, "You did this to me! Why'd you have to give me that damned rod!?"

Blinking slightly, Moon replied as if the matter was settled even as she said, "Because it's yours."

"No, it's not", Terra protested back before sweeping an arm over her new attire, "Look what it did to me. I'm in a freaking short skirt which allows any pervert to see up it if I step wrong! I can sure as hell tell you that I didn't ask for this!"

"I never liked the uniform myself", Makoto muttered in agreement from the right of Moon, receiving a glare from her leader. "Well, I don't...", she added defensively.

"Look, I just told the walking tin can here", Terra started again, indicating the armor clad figure beside her, "that I've had to deal with weird crap my entire life. I'm tired of it and I really don't want to have you guys thrown into the mix."

"Maybe we can help you out", Moon said, almost mirroring Endymion's earlier statement. "We've seen our own share of weird things."

"No offense", the red haired Senshi said with a wave of her hand, "but most of the weird stuff I come across is deadly."

With a twitch in her eye, Mars responded by calling out, "We've fought demons, aliens, beings from the future and people who could destroy the world on a whim. I think we'll be just fine against whatever you've dealt with."

Giving her cousin a half-lidded look, Terra asked, "You've fought things that could destroy the world?"

"Yeah", Jupiter replied with vigor, "And we won, too!"

Raising a brow, Terra then asked, "So what do you need me for?"

Both Mars and Jupiter seemed lost at that question, forcing Mercury to pick up the slack, "Our enemies usually become stronger with each new encounter. Considering the fact that we all nearly died during our last fight, I'm sure you would be a great addition to the team for whatever might be coming next. For the record, we found out that you were supposed to be the second strongest amongst us during the Silver Millennium."

Placing a hand to her forehead, Terra let out a heavy sigh, "Guys... I'm just a martial artist. That's it." Opening her blue eyes to look at Moon once more, she said, "If it wasn't for... multiple reasons, I'd be happy to help, this thing", waving a hand before her, "being one of them. I can't go into them all, but I promised someone important that I'd stay out of fights if I could. Joining you would break that promise and if there's one thing I've done in my life, it's honor my word." As she finished speaking, her eyes lost focus yet again momentarily before she let out an exasperated cry, "Gah! All I want is to get out of this getup and have this damn voice stop talking in my head! Is that too much to ask!?"

"Voice", Endymion echoed with a concerned voice, "What do you mean?"

"The freaking voice that's talking to me in my head since you guys did this to me", she exclaimed back to him before phasing out for another moment. "Yes, they did", she yelled in frustrated response to the unheard comment. Taking a deep breath, Terra almost pleaded with the ones she deemed responsible, "Could you please, just fix this? All these images and that voice are going to drive me insane!"

Still slightly confused by the new Senshi's actions, Mars stepped forward saying, "I don't know about any voice, but I can probably help you with the images and memories you're probably experiencing."

"So you can make it all stop", Terra asked hopefully.

"No, not exactly", Mars replied with a shake of her head, sending her raven hair swaying, "I can help you order the memories in your mind so they'll make sense and maybe not bother you as much..."

Sighing in resignation, the redhead nodded in acceptance, "Ok, fine, whatever. I may not want these memories but I sure as hell don't want _this_!" Giving her head a quick shake, while taking a breath, she asked, "So what are you going to do?"

"Well, it's a technique that will sort your memories and help you make sense of everything. I don't know for sure, but it might take care of that voice as well", Mars replied as she stepped even closer.

Eyeing the advancing Senshi, Terra lowered her guard as she said, "Alright, just don't go messing around too much in there, I've had some real bad experiences with mind altering stuff." Ignoring the raised eyebrow Mars gave her over the loaded comment, the redhead tacked on, "Oh, and no mindreading while you're doing whatever the hell you're going to do to my head."

"Don't worry, I won't be able to read your thoughts or anything while performing the technique", the raven haired girl said back, slightly raising her hands, "You ready?" Seeing Terra nod her head and steel herself, Mars placed her hands on the sides of Terra's head while saying, "Alright, just relax. If you know any meditation, it will help out."

As the four other Senshi and Endymion watched, Terra and Mars closed their eyes and relaxed their breathing. The two of them seemed to stay like that forever even though only a few minutes had passed before Mars' eyes opened once more. Blinking a few times, the Senshi of Fire stepped back a step and the other Senshi rushed forward as she seemed to lose her balance. "I'm fine, I'm fine", she told them as she waved them off, "I'm just really tired..." Looking back to the still Terra, she added, "It was harder than I thought it would be, but I think it worked."

At those words, Terra opened her eyes only to blink a few times as she placed her hands to the sides of her head. After a moment, she lowered her arms to her side while looking from Mars to Moon, "Yeah... I think it worked. You know, it still doesn't change anything, though." With a sigh and a golden flash, she reappeared in her civilian garb, hair bound up in a low ponytail once more. "I won't tell anyone about your secrets... just don't go looking for me. You really don't need me anymore than I need you right now", she told the blonde leader.

Moon watched as Ranma looked at the rod she held in her hand before holding it out. Before Ranma could say anything, Moon pushed it away, stating, "It's yours, Ranko, by birthright. We can't take it back."

"Well, I don't want it", Ranma replied in a tired tone.

"Throw it away, destroy it, sell it... It's yours to do whatever you wish, but only you can ever _use_ it", Moon explained.

As Ranma turned her back to the group, still looking at the rod in her hand, she heard a familiar male voice behind her softly call out, "Ranko..." Looking over her shoulder, she locked eyes with him, blue to blue, and said, "Don't talk to me, Endymion... and don't use that tick to find me again. Trust me... it'll be better off for both of us." With that said; she tossed the rod over her shoulder and leapt off the side of the roof.

Even as Endymion scrambled to the edge to look over, the falling rod disappeared before touching the rooftop. Not seeing this, the armored fighter searched below for any sign of his sister, but failed to see anything. Sighing, he turned back around just in time to hear Jupiter sarcastically say, "Well, that turned out just as planned."

Moon ignored the frustrated remark of her friend and teammate, choosing instead to look beyond her raven haired beloved to where Ranko was last seen. "I need to talk with Pluto about this", she said, more to herself than anything.

"What I want to know, is what happened to her henshin rod", Venus asked as she moved to a good spot to jump downward.

Frowning a bit, Mercury responded by saying, "The only thing I can think of is that she activated the storage function."

"But that doesn't make any sense", Mars countered, "Why would she do that if she wanted to get rid of it?"

Mercury just shrugged, "You'd have to ask her that..."

oOo

"Oh, excuse me", the yellow and red clad young woman said in surprise, as she impacted another pedestrian. 'Wow', Akane mentally remarked as the other person sent his own apology and went on his way, 'Juuban is a lot busier than Nerima...'

Spotting what looked like a small rest area ahead; Akane continued her walk through the busy section of town, tired after wading through the human sea and from her previous efforts of club exploration at the university. Shaking her head as she noted a clock hung on the buildings as she passed, she ruefully thought, 'Well... this will teach me to explore Juuban during rush hour. So much for an easy time finding an apartment...'

Entering the area out of the main stream of traffic, the short haired woman stepped up to one of the vending machines and proceeded to procure a can of juice for her quick rest. It was only when she turned around to find a seat that she noticed a slightly familiar looking form occupying part of the bench already. As she moved over, she heard the soft sounds that the girl was crying and asked concernedly, "Hotaru-san?"

Hearing her name spoken, the purple haired girl found herself facing a figure of her hopes and dreams as she raised her head. "Akane-san", Hotaru's voice slightly stammered out as she wiped at her slightly damp eyes, "What are you doing here?"

"Just Akane is fine", the elder female informed as she sat down on the other side of the bench, folding her dress beneath her, "and I was just trying to take a break from that." She finished her words while waving a hand to the sea of movement not a few meters from the pair. Turning towards the young girl once more, she asked, "Are you okay, Hotaru-san?"

Smiling at the concerned gesture, the young Senshi in civilian form replied, "Yes... I'm fine." Taking a breath, the young teen explained by saying, "I'm just missing a friend that... moved away."

Akane nodded at that, knowing how the girl might feel, "I understand. I remember when one of my friends from school moved away; Chieko was her name. It took a while, but I was able to make other friends and things got better... And I know they will for you too, Hotaru-san." Going with the feeling of familiarity she was getting from the smaller girl, Akane continued by suggesting, "How about we become friends? I don't know that many people in Juuban yet, and a friend would be nice."

Hearing that, Hotaru's smile almost grew to epic proportions before she made the condition, "Only if we stop using keigo." As they both shared a giggle at that, Hotaru seemed to notice the clock post that centered the small resting area. "Oh no", the girl let out in surprise, "I need to head home or else I'll be late!"

Wanting to spend some more time with her new young friend, Akane asked, "Do you mind if I walk you home?"

Giving a quick noise of negative response, Hotaru clarified with, "I'd like that very much. It's not out of your way, is it?"

Seeing the girl point in a direction, the woman mentally calculated where she was in relation to the shrine she and her husband were staying at, "I don't think it's too far; besides, I don't have to meet Ranma for a while yet." Saying that, Akane pushed herself up off the bench and, almost immediately, cradled her left hand while letting out a yelp of pain.

Surprised, Hotaru got up quickly and stepped forward, concernedly asking, "What's wrong?"

Pulling out a couple of tissues from her purse, Akane verbally waved off the concern, saying, "It's nothing. I just cut my hand on the edge of the bench..." Looking to the offending place and noticing a sharp spur sticking out, she growled slightly, "They should really do something about that!"

While she was eyeing the offending metal, Hotaru had already taken hold of Akane's injured hand and found the cut was really shallow, but long and bleeding slightly. Looking up to the taller female's face, she said, "Um... I can take care of this if you want."

"What do you mean", Akane asked in confusion as she turned back to the younger girl.

"Just watch", was the violet haired girl's only response as she pressed her palm over Akane's injured one and it began to glow faintly. Akane could feel a pleasant warm feeling from the contact and, after a moment when the girl removed her appendage, she found her hand clear of the long cut, save for some smudges of red leftover blood.

As she saw Akane's eyes widen, Hotaru braced herself for a rejection from her new friend, but was instantly surprised when Akane let out a low voice filled with awe, "That's amazing..." Looking from her hand to the girl, she inquired, "How did you do that, Hotaru?"

"Well...", she started out, still unsure about how this was all going to turn out, "I can heal people depending on how bad it is. I don't know how I do it, I just can. I've been able to for as long as I can remember..."

"Wow... That's so incredible", Akane's voice continued on in awe, much to Hotaru's relief, "I think it's a wonderful ability to have. I wish I could do that..." Pulling the strap of her purse up onto her shoulder, Akane asked, "Would you mind telling me more about it while we walk?"

"Sure", Hotaru happily replied before giving a slightly mischievous smile, "Only if you tell me about yourself; like, how did you and Ranma get together?"

"Oh, wow", the martial artist replied, "you're starting big, aren't you, Hotaru-chan." Seeing the embarrassed grin on the girl's face, Akane just shook her head ruefully, "No, it's ok. Let's see..." She took that moment to decide what to edit out of her story, deciding on just not talking about Ranma's curse. Everything else seemed all right to tell the young girl, as most of it was truly unbelievable to Akane and she lived most of it! "It all started one day when my father called me and my sisters for a family meeting..."

oOo

Once she started talking; time seemed to flow by as Akane told her tale, but eventually, like all tales, it reached its current conclusion as the raven haired woman finished with, "...we finally got married just two days ago. We were wondering where we would stay until we found an apartment here in Juuban, but Rei was kind enough to let us stay at the shrine until we could find a place of our own." As she brought the tale to a close, Akane mentally patted herself on the back for glossing over many details which would have revealed her husband's curse, such as the entire reason for his fight with Herb.

As for Hotaru, she was in rapture as she listened to the entire epic; part of her knowing that it couldn't possibly be real. It had all the trappings to be an amazing manga or anime but, based off her life experiences, the other part of the young girl took it at face value. Still, it explained why Ranma was so flippant about defeating the daimon at the train station; what with all the fiancées, rivals and adventures he had been on. It seemed like he'd have a new battle waiting for him almost every day, and loved it almost every minute. Her musings were interrupted by Akane calling her name softly, causing Hotaru to blink and ask, "Yes, Akane?"

Looking a bit pensive, the female Saotome requested, "I'd like it if you didn't go around telling everyone about this, okay? Trouble has a way of finding Ranma wherever he goes and I'd like to avoid it, at least for a little while. It's part of the reason we left Nerima."

"Okay...", Hotaru promised, while still slightly distracted by the long exposition she had just heard. After that, the pair walked in silence for a few minutes before she noticed that they were almost upon the house that she and the rest of the Outers shared. "Oh, we're here", she noted, "Well, this is where I live. Thank you for accompanying me home, Akane."

"No problem at all, Hotaru-chan", Akane responded with a warm smile, before looking a little sheepish, "I hope I didn't bore you with all that, though."

The dark-violet haired girl was just about to tell her friend how the story was anything but boring, but both were attracted to the sound of the front door opening. When they looked over, they found a smiling Michiru there as she welcomed, "Oh, Hotaru-chan, you're home! Haruka and I were wondering when you would..." Her voice trailed off as she blinked for a second, noticing the figure standing beside her adopted daughter, "Akane-san? What are you doing here?"

It was the Saotome's turn to blink as she mirrored slightly, "Michiru-san?! What..." Shaking her head quickly, she explained, "I met Hotaru-chan while wandering around and we got to talking while I walked her home."

"Really", the aqua haired Senshi asked in slight wonder, "Well, would you like to come in for some tea. We could continue our conversation we had yesterday..."

"Ah, well... I wouldn't want to intrude", Akane stated, trying to back out. That was before she looked over and found Hotaru giving her a devastatingly cute pleading look. "Well, I think I can stay for a bit. Ranma can fend for himself for a while without me."

Letting out a light whoop of delight, Hotaru virtually grabbed hold of Akane's hand and drug her into the house, much to Michiru's surprise. As Michiru closed the door behind them, she saw Akane take in her surroundings while Hotaru continued leading the short haired woman towards the living room. As she felt her hand released, Akane continued her examination of the household while distractedly asking, "Hotaru-chan, is Michiru-san your sister?"

Looking slightly embarrassed with the assumption, the shorter female responded, "Um... no, she isn't. She's sort of my adopted mother."

Hearing that, Akane blinked in surprise, as she looked back to finally notice that Michiru was wearing a school uniform. Seeing that, the martial artist silently kicked herself as she realized that the rising musician was only year younger than herself from the stories she had previously read. When they finally stepped into the living room, Akane saw the sandy blonde woman from the café reading a magazine on the couch. Hearing the people enter, Haruka looked up and almost did a double take when she noticed Akane in the room with her housemates.

"Haruka, I hope you remember Saotome Akane", Michiru prodded softly as she made her way through the room to gather the tea supplies from the kitchen.

"Uh, yeah... yeah, I do", Haruka replied distractedly as she stood up from the couch. "What brings you to our humble home?"

"We met by accident and just started talking, Haruka-papa", Hotaru chimed in, "Next thing we knew, we were here."

Hearing the suffix Hotaru gave to the blonde haired woman, Akane raised a brow slightly as she looked at the slightly taller... woman. Taking note of the attire she was wearing and finally placing the woman before her with the masculine dressed person from the cafe, Akane couldn't help but inwardly snort while thinking, 'And Ranma calls _me_ a tomboy... When he finds out the she was the guy from... Oh, I'm going to have so much fun teasing him about this.'

As the trio sat down and got comfortable, Akane found herself enjoying the spacious yet cozy atmosphere the house had. With the size of the residence and the quality of furniture she could see, Akane had to place Michiru and Haruka as very well off for their age. Sighing in her mind, she resigned herself to the fact that she and Ranma would probably never be as well off as these people, but they surely weren't living destitute by any means. Shrugging it off as mild envy, she turned towards her young friend and asked, "So, why didn't you tell me you lived with Michiru-san and Haruka-san?"

Grinning a little sheepishly, Hotaru replied, "Well, you never asked..."

Hearing Haruka snicker lightly from her seat, Akane just shook her head ruefully. She turned her attention fully towards the blonde when she said, "Oh, and you can drop the keigo, Akane-san. Seems like you're a friend of Hotaru-chan and any friend of hers is a friend of ours."

"Thank you", Akane replied with a smile, "but only if you do the same."

Grinning, the Senshi of Uranus easily replied, "Sure, no problem there."

Just then, the phone rang, interrupting the conversation momentarily. From the kitchen, Michiru called out, "I'll get it", letting Haruka shrug it off and continue her conversation with the interesting martial artist. As she picked up the phone in the kitchen, the long haired Senshi of Neptune answered with a, "Moshi-moshi?"

*Michiru*, questioning familiar voice on the other end asked, *Is Setsuna around?*

"Sorry, but she's not her, Usagi", Michiru replied to the leader of the Senshi. "Actually, we haven't seen her for a while now", she clarified to halt an unsaid question.

*Oh... Um... Did you hear what happened at school after class today*, Usagi's voice asked once more, with a more than a little hesitancy in it.

Furrowing her brow slightly, Michiru responded with a concerned, "No, we left a little early today. Why? What happened?"

There were a few moments of silence from the other end, in which Michiru started fidgeting with her hair, twirling some strands around a finger. Eventually, Usagi finished pondering her response and surprised the Neptunian princess by switching to a new topic, *Did Hotaru tell you about the incident at the train station?*

Blinking a few times, Michiru replied, "The one about the daimon that attacked?"

*Yes, that one*, came the serious reply followed by another question, *Did she talk about who actually killed it?*

"Yes, she did", Michiru answered, trying to figure out where Usagi was going with this, "We found it hard to believe, really. Did Rei's cousin really fight and defeat the daimon by himself?"

*Not exactly. His wife helped him out a little*, Usagi admitted, *But he still defeated it in the end... Anyways, did you know his wife has a cousin that looks a lot like him? Her name's...*

"Tendo Ranko", Michiru answered for her, causing Usagi to go silent for a few seconds.

*How did you know?*

"We met her and Akane at a café yesterday afternoon", Michiru supplied. "It was quite an interesting meeting too." Taking a breath, she continued on, "Afterwards, I tried to find out about her using the Mirror but all I got were some confusing images of Ranko, Ranma and Mamoru along with a scene of numerous pools of water."

*You used the Mirror on Ranko*, Usagi asked in surprise in response. Soon after, there were sounds of quick communication on the other side of the line before Rei's voice replaced the blonde's, "Michiru, we need to have a meeting... soon! A lot has happened since yesterday and we all need to compare notes. I have a strange feeling about all this and we need to find out what's going on!*

Leaning over the counter on an elbow, she ran he free hand through her long hair, "What kind of things have happened?"

There was a pause on the other line once more before Rei's voice once more came over it, *Michiru... Ranko is Sailor Terra.*

"What!? How did that happen", the Senshi of the sea cried out louder than she expected to.

*Long story*, was Rei's only reply before saying, *Look, we can't use the shrine for any meetings due to Ranma and Akane. Can we come over to your place? We also really need to talk to Setsuna.*

With her mind still awhirl with the information she just received, the aqua haired woman answered on autopilot at first, "We haven't seen Setsuna for a while now. I already told Usagi this. As for coming over here, Akane is visiting right now..."

There was another long silence on the line before she heard Rei mutter, *Too many coincidences...* Before Michiru could ask what she meant, Rei asked, *Why is she over there?*

"It seems she and Hotaru got to talking and found their way here. I'll make sure she's gone before you arrive though", Michiru promised.

*Alright... we'll be coming shortly then*, Rei responded as to end the call.

"Wait", Michiru quickly called into the receiver, "Is... Ranko coming?"

After another bout of silence, Rei soberly said, *No, she's not... That's one of the things we need to talk about. We'll be over as soon as possible.*

Before Michiru could say anything else, the line clicked dead, leaving her looking at the handset in her hand before she set it back into its cradle. Sighing, the young woman turned around only to jump back in fright. After a moment, she noticed Haruka standing there with a concerned and confused look on her face. "Sorry, you just surprised me, there."

Quirking her brow, Haruka inquired, "Is everything alright? I heard you yell from the living room..." That in itself was cause for worry, with Michiru having almost as good emotional control as Setsuna did.

Taking a quick breath, Michiru started relaying the startling information she just received from their Inner compatriots.

Out in the living room, Akane found herself feeling more and more like she had known Hotaru for a long time, instead of the one day it was in reality. As Akane had related some of her and Ranma's life on the walk over, Hotaru was indulging the older female with her stories, with heavy editing involved. After a while, Akane found herself just staring at the young girl, even after Hotaru stopped speaking, with a spaced out look on her face.

Finally realizing her visitor's current state, Hotaru began to feel self-conscious, "Um... Is something wrong, Akane?"

Snapping out of her dazed state with that question, the short haired woman shook her head slightly while blinking, "Oh... Sorry, it's nothing, Hotaru-chan." Akane was silent for a moment before hesitantly saying, "It's just... I feel like I should know you from someplace... but I can't remember where."

Smiling wistfully, which Akane took for shyness, Hotaru mentally corrected, 'Not where... but when.' Deep in her gut, she was fighting a battle with the urge to just jump up and tell her everything right then and there, but held it back, if just barely. She didn't want to lose a friend in the rush to find her brother.

Noticing a clock which hung on the wall behind Hotaru, Akane blinked for a second, "Oh... I'm sorry Hotaru-chan, but I think I lost track of time. I really should head back to meet up with Ranma."

"Oh", was Hotaru's only reply as she sunk down into her chair, looking a little dejected.

Standing up, Akane moved over and laid a hand on her young friend's as she let her know, "Don't worry, Hotaru-chan. I'll come back to visit soon." Seeing the girl nod in response, the elder of the pair made her way the doorway to the kitchen where she encountered Michiru and Haruka in conversation.

Haruka, who was facing the doorway, immediately stopped talking upon noticing her there, which caused Michiru to turn around. "Yes, Akane", she asked, a sliver of her worried state shedding through in her voice.

"I'm really sorry", she started to explain, "but I really must be leaving. I told Ranma I would meet him at the shrine and I have to leave now if I plan on making it in time."

While feeling happy at not having to ask her guest to leave, Michiru also was disappointed due to the fact that she was unable to continue their conversation from yesterday. Chalking it up to good luck at the moment, she smiled slightly and told the visiting Saotome, "I understand, but you really must make it back sometime soon. We'll finish that conversation eventually."

"I'd really like that", Akane responded as she finished up, giving a polite bow and received one in return.

oOo

Elsewhere in the prefecture, Rei turned away from the freshly hung up phone to lean against the wall it hung on. Looking towards the others standing nearby, she sighed and stated, "Alright. Michiru agreed to us meeting at their place. It seems that they have questions about Ranko and Ranma too."

"That's good", Minako replied to the priestess in casual clothes, "but why won't Setsuna be there?"

"I have no clue", Rei answered with a shrug, "Neither does Michiru. She said she hasn't seen her for a while now."

"But why now", Usagi complained, looking annoyed, "She monitors the time stream, right? So she should know we need to talk to her right now!" Grumbling under her breath, she started walking away from the bank of phones, the other following along beside her.

"Maybe that's the reason she isn't here", Ami supplied up as a theory, "Maybe she wants us to do this on our own."

"Well that's great", Makoto growled out, "Would it kill her to leave a note or something? Something saying 'Be gone for a bit, I know you can handle it' would be nice."

At that, the five of them heaved a collective sigh, knowing that this was just Setsuna's style and they had no choice but to go with it. "Anyways, maybe one of us should go back to the shrine and get Luna and Artemis. I'm sure they will want to be at the meeting", Rei commented. Shifting to a voice that clearly showed her apprehension at seeing the soon to be hostile cats, she added, "They're really not going to like hearing this."

"None of us like the way this turned out, Rei", Usagi said in an a flash of leadership as she placed a hand on the fire maiden's shoulder. Turning to the other blonde in the group, she asked, "Minako, could you get Artemis and Luna and meet us there?" Minako replied with a nod and headed off to find a place to transform, knowing she could move faster in her Senshi guise.

Down one member, the team of girls plus Mamoru continued their trek by foot towards the Outer's abode. There was silence for a moment before Ami continued her grilling of the Earthen Prince, "Are you absolutely sure you don't remember how you kept up with her?"

Exasperated, Mamoru shook his head, "I told you already, the only thing I noticed was that I started to glow gold for a bit, but it went away. Why are you asking about this?"

"A golden glow", Rei questioned the only male with them.

"Yes, a golden glow", he reiterated, "it was sort of like the one Terra had before she transformed."

Taking a note of this information, Ami continued the inquisition by asking, "Well, do you know how fast you were running?"

Raising an eyebrow at the question, Mamoru tried to formulate a number in his head. Failing that, he replied dumbly, "Um... fast?"

"Mamoru", Ami started out, showing him her computer display, "You were going around sixty-five kilometers per hour. Even transformed, we can only reach around forty." As she explained this, the display kept changing to keep pace, even as she continued by saying, "Just how did you do that?"

"What", the college student asked in shock before shaking his head quickly and putting a hand to it, "I don't know! I just had to catch up to her, so I did!"

"But that doesn't answer anything", Ami complained as she continued typing away on the device.

Sensing that her love needed saved from the team's genius; Usagi changed the subject by asking, "Mamo-chan, did you find out why she acted like she did?"

Shaking his head once more while sighing, he replied, "No, Usako, I didn't. When I talked to her before the fight, she wasn't anything like this. I don't know why, but she didn't take it well when I told her she was my sister." Heaving another sigh, he lamented, "I wish I knew why she acted that way."

"She was confused and afraid of something", Rei broke in, cupping her chin with her fingers. Seeing everyone looking at her, she added, "I was able to feel that when I jogged her memories."

"You were able to read her mind", Mamoru asked with a brow raised.

"No, no. Nothing like that", Rei dispelled with a wave of her hand, "I can't read minds with that technique. I could only feel her surface feelings through her aura, which isn't the same thing as reading someone's mind." Letting out a breath, she continued by saying, "But still, I felt a lot of confusion, which is understandable, but the fear is what has me wondering. It wasn't the kind you get when facing a monster, it was something... different. Like she feared what her memories would tell her..."

"Why would she fear her memories", Usagi wondered out loud.

"I don't know, but she defiantly didn't like the skirt and I can't blame her", Makoto replied, earning the Jovian another scathing look. "What? I didn't like them then and I don't like them now."

Any other glares from Usagi were halted when Mamoru let out an entertained chuckle. Seeing the others looking at him questioningly, he responded, "Oh, I just remembered that Akana didn't care for the uniform as well, but she never told you guys."'

"Yeah", Makoto cried out while throwing a fist in the air, "Another one for my side; 'pants or longer skirts'!" The conversation or heated debate, depending on the person involved, her outburst started continued all the way to their destination...

oOo

Normally, Ranma was a creature of instinct, charging in where fools may dare, but she was still a fairly intelligent being, though not a genius by any means. Still, when there was a reason to, she could think things out and plan her next moves or decipher the problem at hand just as well as any other person. This was exactly what the redheaded Saotome was doing as she leaned against a wall on a under populated side street. Though she would never admit it, feeling nervous and confused was also what she was doing and it showed on her face even as she muttered out her thoughts under her breath.

"Okay, let's see here", she muttered, crossing her arms over her chest, "I wanted to find out why I was having dreams of Mamoru... or is it Endymion? Whatever... So I ask him and he transforms into that tux guy and then Endymion."

Letting out a sigh, she got to the first of two big points of her problem, "Then he tells me I'm his sister... I can't be his sister, I..." Ranma's voice trailed off as her eyes unfocused, an image of her and Endymion posing for a picture, hugging with smiles... just like siblings would. "No... I can't be...", she denies as she shakes the image from her mind. "I might have gotten used to having this curse, but that's because I had to... I'm still a guy, damnit."

"Still, he could have said something freaky like being a past lover or something", she admitted, trying to look at it as a 'not so bad' situation. It was a habit she picked up on her ten year long training journey as a child and it had always served her well since then. 'No matter what happened, it could always have been worse; but now it's over so on to better things', was the theory behind it and unconsciously used in most situations.

That's when she remembered the sight of Rei and her friends transforming right before her eyes into the Sailor Senshi... and her own bout of being inside the dazzling lightshow. The feeling of power rushing through her veins, the soft caresses as she was stripped and remade, the flood of images... Endymion... That voice. The redhead couldn't suppress the shudder that coursed through her body at the memory, a multitude of reasons behind it.

Ranma just knew, at the time, she needed to get away to think. She didn't need to be surrounded by… Enemies? Friends? She didn't know yet, and the Saotome Secret Technique served her well... up until Endymion started his pursuit. 'How did he keep finding me? There had to be some technique …', she pondered as she cradled her chin with a hand. 'Stupid bastard…', she cursed, kicking herself, 'Freaking tricked me into using that stupid rod…'

Letting out a derisive snort, the redhead crossed her arms before her once more as she muttered, "And as if being stuffed into that stupid fuku ain't enough, that voice starts making fun of me." Placing a hand to her forehead, she commented lowly, "Damn… When the shit hits the fan in my life, it don't kid halfass it. At least Rei… Mars… she was about to do something about that damned voice and images…"

Taking a breath, the martial artist squared her shoulders as she formulated a quick plan that was assured to work; pretend it didn't happen and stay male until he and Akane moved out of the shrine. Nodding in agreement to her own plan, Ranma kicked off the wall and finished making her way towards the shrine, planning on procuring some hot water as soon as she arrived.

Ranma's plan hit a snag when her sixth sense started yelling at her at someone powerful, and not bothering to hide it, was nearby and closing in. Acting on instinct, she slid into a nearby gap between buildings while quickly masking her own aura in time to watch a familiar orange clad blonde sprint past and head into the Hikawa Shrine. 'Kuso', the redhead cursed as she swiftly moved up to a blind corner on the perimeter wall of the shrine as stealthily as she could. Straining her ears, she could just barely make out the words of people talking inside…

"…worried! What happened", a male voice asked in concern.

"Long story", another voice, this one female, "I'll tell you along the way." Hearing this, Ranma linked this person and the orange clad Venus together.

"What do you mean", another female voice questioned in confusion, "Where are we going?"

"To Michiru and Haruka's place", Venus answered, "We're having an emergency meeting."

"Why can't we just meet here like we always do", the female voice asked in response.

"Because Ranma and Akane are staying here, Luna", Venus replied in slight exasperation, "Now, let's go!" It was only a moment later that a shadow flashed over the hidden redhead, as Venus vaulted over the wall she was pushed up on. Venus never noticed the observer as Ranma watched the orange clad girl sprint away with something in her arms, but never got a good look at whatever it was before the Senshi ran out of sight around a corner.

'Great… there's more of them', Ranma thought as she stayed silent and unmoving for a good while, listening for any more sounds of conversation or movement from inside the shrine walls. Hearing nothing after a long wait, she scrambled up the wall to peer over it as covertly as possible; which was considerably covert thanks to her father's style of training. Another short wait showed no movement inside the compound, which was momentarily not the case as she finished climbing over the wall to sneak into the shrine proper on the hunt for hot water…

oOo

A while later, Minako finally arrived at the Outer's house to find everyone already inside, gathered in the once spacious living room. With the amount of people there now, it was just on the verge of being cramped, but still acceptable for the purpose at hand. "Sorry about taking so long", Minako apologized to the group as she released the cats from her arms and sat in one of the few spots left.

"We just got here ourselves", Makoto replied as the black moon cat leapt onto the small table between everyone.

Facing her liege, Luna said, "Minako told us what happened but it didn't make any sense. What went wrong?"

"That's what I'd like to know", Usagi grumbled as she shook her head, "How could someone who fought off that little pervert like she did suddenly freak out like that?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, princess", Haruka replied with a shrug. "I just know she wiped the floor with that goon yesterday and scared the rest out of their minds with her fancy lightshow."

"Goons", Rei repeated with confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"She just helped me take care of some trash yesterday", Haruka said with a shrug. "Some idiots were trying to persuade us to join them for some 'fun' but they bit off more than they could chew."

"Just because you can take down some local punks or a perverted little letch doesn't mean you're fearless. Point in fact is Ranko and Ranma's fear of cats", Rei pointed out to the group.

Haruka just looked at the priestess blankly for a moment before snickering, "She's afraid of cats?"

"Hey, it isn't funny", Usagi chastised the blonde; "She had a very serious training accident when she was a child! So, don't make fun of Mamo-chan's sister!"

"Sister", Haruka questioned back, instantly losing her humor as she looked from Usagi to Mamoru.

Before either of them could reply, Hotaru spoke up in response, slightly annoyed, "Yes, Haruka-papa! I just told you yesterday."

Haruka looked at her child with a confused expression for a moment before the knowledge hit her that, somewhere in Hotaru's exposition yesterday, she mentioned Mamoru believing that Ranko was his sister in their past lives. Michiru spoke up, breaking Haruka's initiative on responding, saying, "Well, that explains the image of her and Mamoru, but I still haven't figured out her connection to Ranma."

"Ranma", Rei asked out, "What are you talking about, Michiru? Why should she have a connection to Ranma other than her being his wife's cousin?"

Standing up and moving over to a bookshelf to pick out some drawings, the aqua haired woman replied, "When we met Ranko yesterday, I used the Deep Aqua Mirror. It showed me five images, which I sketched out." Placing the sketches on the table between everyone, she named them off, "Here they are in the order I saw them: Ranko, Ranma, Ranko and Mamoru, followed by Ranko and Ranma."

"What about the fifth", Makoto asked as she looked over the drawing of Ranko and Mamoru. It wasn't a perfect match to the pair, but it was close enough to figure out easily.

"That would be this one", the Senshi of Neptune replied as she placed down her last picture on top of the other four.

"It's a bunch of ponds with poles in them", Makoto stated while looking from the scene towards the one who drew it. "What does it mean and how, exactly, does it help us?"

Crossing her arms before her lightly, Michiru shrugged, "I was hoping one of you could tell me that. I don't know enough about any of this to make sense of what the Mirror is telling me." She gestured with a finger, making a point, "But I do know that the Mirror never lies. Ranko, Mamoru, Ranma and those ponds… Somehow, they are all connected in some way or another."

Silently, while Michiru talked, Mamoru picked up the sketch of himself and his reincarnated sister. Usagi watched as he held it before him, lines of frustration, worry and sorrow etched on his face, though his eyes still remained solid and focused. Seeming to pull strength from her love's demeanor, the daughter of Serenity squared her shoulders as a commanding voice broke over the room, "Senshi, we are going to find out why this happened and what went wrong." Looking around the room for a moment, seeing the slightly shocked but focused looks from the surrounding females, she directed, "I want us to start off from square one." Silence reigned for a moment, before Usagi leaned over to the short haired girl beside her and whispered, "Where is square one?"

Seeing how everyone was hanging on their leader's words at the moment, the whisper was heard by everyone, shattering the moment even before Ami responded with, "I would start at the train station incident and work from there. That's where all these odd occurrences started, when Mamoru returned and when Akane and Ranma showed up…" Thinking for a moment, she pondered, "You know, we don't know when Ranko actually arrived in Juuban…" Shrugging it off as of little importance and an almost impossibility to answer, the Senshi of Ice restated, "But, yes, the train station is where it all started."

"Ok, so we were at the station to meet Mamoru when a leftover daimon attacked", Minako started out. "Then, Ranma and his wife started playing tennis with it before killing it with an energy blast. Then they just disappear without a trace."

"He and Akane came to the shrine just after that", Rei voiced out.

"Yeah", Makoto agreed before adding her own bit, "Ranma mentioned the attack, but he made it seem more like a school fight than anything. We didn't find out it was a monster attack until Usagi and the others arrived."

"Uh, huh", Usagi nodded with a bob of her twin tails. A moment later, she blinked as everyone got silent and was looking towards one another as if lost. "Uh... what happened next", she asked in a minor confused state.

Letting out a low hum, Ami spoke up, "I think it was when Akane showed back up at the shrine and Ranko appeared for the first time."

"Ah... no, I don't think so", Haruka retorted, "From what Hotaru told us, that's after we met her at the café."

Mulling the timeline over quickly in her head, Ami nodded and waved to the sandy blonde Senshi, "That seems about right. Well, what happened there?"

"Michiru and I were having tea when Ranko and Akane walk in. Soon after, a group of punks comes in and starts hitting on everyone..."

"Minus you, dear", Michiru piped in, gaining a grin from everyone who knew Haruka's boyish style of dress.

Giving a slight sigh, Haruka rolled her eyes slightly, "Yes, minus me. Anyways, after Red tells them to shove off, they decide to get rough." Chuckling a bit, she continued on with a grin, "That's when Red nearly broke the guy's hand for touching her."

"She did, love", Michiru corrected again. "It was quite... disturbing actually", she shivered for a split second as she heard the popping and scream in her mind.

As if hearing the same thing, Haruka smirked and let out a snort, "Yeah, she did, didn't she?" Shaking her head ruefully, she continued on, "Anyways, after that, we each took out one, though two of them were still able to move. She then she starts glowing and tells them to get lost before she kicks them out."

"After that, we started talking, but _someone_", Michiru stressed, "started asking too many questions and they left. I was enjoying my conversation with Akane, too."

Haruka had the decency to look sheepish while Ami moved things along by saying, "And then they show up at the shrine."

"Yeah, that's where we got our first good look at Ranko", Usagi noted, to numerous nods. "It was a real short visit, but we found out she was Akane's cousin."

"We also found out that they were trained together", Rei pointed out, "and the fact that Ranma can use ki." Seeing the blank expression on the two older Outer's faces, the shrine maiden sighed lightly, "It's a form of spiritual energy that everyone has, but only a few can ever train to use. Ranma and Ranko have to be prodigies or something to do be able to do what they can with it."

"When did Ranma show up", Michiru asked while scrunching her brow. "You only said Ranko and Akane showed up at the shrine."

"He arrived just after Ranko left", Minako answered offhandedly; "He said she almost ran over him."

"Oh", the Senshi of the Sea responded, "Well, did anything else happen?"

"No, not really", Makoto replied. "Ranma basically got tired of the questions and headed off to bed."

"Okay, well that's probably when I used the Mirror", Michiru noted, waving a hand to the papers still on the table, "and you know how that turned out."

Looking around for a second, Makoto spoke up once more, "I guess the next time we saw any of them was when Ranko showed up and beat down that Happosai perv."

"Almost", Mamoru cut in, speaking for the first time this conversation, "I met her by chance at the university. I was trying to talk to her and find a way to make sure she was my sister before I told her." Giving a sigh, he nodded towards the long haired brunette, "That's when we were distracted and she started fighting off the hentai."

Shivering, Rei hissed out, "Creepiest old perv I've ever met. I swear his aura was just a few steps below a demon's."

Raising a brow, Haruka asked, "Wait, she went and fought an old pervert. What's the big deal about that?"

"They were throwing each other through fifteen centimeter thick concrete walls", Ami deadpanned.

"That's not counting the fact that she was throwing around that energy... Ki", Makoto added and corrected as she got the stink eye from Rei. "Plus, to finish him off, she made this weird tornado thingy by throwing an uppercut that didn't hit anything." Seeing Haruka's disbelieving look, she raised her hands defensively, "It's the truth, I swear! The others saw it too!"

"That's right", Ami agreed, "I haven't fully analyzed the data, but she did perform that feat. After that, Usagi set it up where we met her at the shrine."

Feeling self-conscious and hearing unsaid blame, Usagi defended herself by saying, "I thought it was a good idea at the time and we did prove that she was Terra!"

"Only to have her run away right after", Rei pointed out and ignored Usagi's whine to not pick on her. "When we caught up to her and Mamaru, she said something about voices in her head that we caused. I performed a mind meld with her and it seemed to fix things, but she still said she wouldn't join us."

"What", Haruka cried out, "You can't just quit being a Senshi!"

Haruka reared back when she noticed Udagi's piercing glare directed at her a moment later, "I won't force her to be a Senshi and neither will you... any of you! We tried to talk to her but she didn't want to." Taking a breath, she admitted, "I don't blame her either. I didn't want to be Sailor Moon when Luna awakened me."

"That's an understatement", Luna muttered under her breath, receiving a snicker from the white moon cat beside her.

"All we can do is figure out why she reacted the way she did and hope we can become friends with her later and she joins us because she wants to", Usagi continued along, ignoring or not hearing her advisor, "But we will never force someone to our side! Do you understand me?"

"Yes, princess", Haruka responded, sufficiently cowed by the displayed level of command Usagi once more managed to pull out from underneath her normally bubbly exterior.

Nodding, Usagi turned to look around the room to her remaining Senshi and Mamoru before sighing, "Now, where do we go from here?"

Taking the initiative once more for her liege and friend, Ami tapped the paper holding the image of Ranma and Ranko back to back. "We haven't explored the relationship between Ranko and Ranma, yet", she notified the group.

"Let's see", Minako called out, tapping her fingers, "They dress alike, talk similar, have the same hairstyle, trained together and are related through Akane, use that ki energy thingy, both are really afraid of cats..."

Looking at the blonde warily, Makoto noted, "That's a lot of thing to have in common..."

"Too many", Rei agreed before shaking her head, "but a lot can be explained away by just having grown up together on the road. Ranma was on a ten year training trip since he was... five or six I think."

Hearing this new news, most of the other Senshi were boggling at the shrine maiden. "That's insane", Haruka muttered to a few nods.

Thinking about it logically, Ami thought out loud, "If they grew up together, maybe Ranma might know why she reacted like that. Since we can't find her, he's probably our best source of information on her."

Nodding, but letting out a sigh, Haruka slouched down in her sofa a little, "Damn... what a time for Setsuna to up and disappear on us."

"That's what I said", Makoto agreed with a sharp nod.

"She probably wants to see if you all can handle things like this without her", Luna theorized, mirroring a comment similar to that said earlier that day.

"That doesn't mean that it isn't frustrating", Michiru retorted lightly, still agreeing with Luna's statement.

As the group settled down into silence once more, Minako asked out of the blue, "So, why was Akane over here when we called?"

Blinking for a second, Hotaru responded, "We met at a rest area and started talking. When I said I needed to head home, she walked with me." Running on autopilot, she continued on, "That's when she told me about Ranm..." Realizing what she was saying, she halted herself mid sentence and looked more than slightly embarrassed.

The damage was done, though, and she saw that everyone had their attention directly on her, making the small Senshi push back into the plush sofa she sat on between her adopted parents. Speaking softly, Michiru asked, "Hotaru-chan, what did say about Ranma? It might be important."

Gauging the need to keep Akane's story a secret and the need to find out about a new Senshi, Hotaru sighed before throwing out a condition, "Alright, but you have to promise not to tell anyone!" Seeing nods throughout the room, even from the two moon cats, she started up the edited version of Ranma and Akane's adventures in Nerima and beyond. Truly, a vast majority of it sounded too outrageous to be true, but considering what they had already witnessed, they took it at face value. While Hotaru talked, Ami could be heard typing away at her computer, providing notation for the young Senshi.

When the young girl's words finally died out, there was stunned silence from her audience. Eventually, Ami's typing also ended and she sat there looking at the screen before unconsciously voicing, "I need to talk to him."

"What? Why", Rei asked as she shook herself out of her stupor, along with everyone else.

"Well, think about how much he knows about martial arts. Only a couple of us know any and in all our fights, how many times have we successfully fought in hand to hand", the short haired genius asked. "If he's as good as we saw from Ranko...", she mentioned, leaving the rest to everyone's imagination.

"You're assuming he'll teach us in the first place", Makoto replied, having had some experience with sensei's who wouldn't teach her because she was a girl.

Letting out a low hum, Mamoru spoke up once more, "Actually, he just might."

"Why do you say that, Mamo-chan", Usagi asked from his side.

"When I talked with Ranko, she said he was studying to get a Phys Ed degree so that he could take over their family dojo", he explained before shrugging, "If he's going to become a sensei, he'll need students eventually. Really, the worse he can do is say no..."

Feeling that the meeting was winding down, Rei looked to the drawings on the table before asking Michiru, "Do you mind if I take this drawing", indicating the one with the pools of water.

"I have no problem with it, but why do you want it", Michiru asked in confusion.

"I plan on asking the Great Fire about what this might be and having a picture will help me focus", Rei explained as she picked up the paper and carefully folded it a couple times. As was standard procedure for Senshi meetings, once the serious topics were gone over, things generally went to high school gossip and other things along that nature soon after...

oOo

When the two newlyweds finally crossed paths, it was Akane who first noticed her husband and called to him from across the street. She wondered about his general attitude when Ranma seemed to snap out of a dazed state before looking around wildly for her. When he did notice her, he ran across the street, thankfully minding the delivery truck that was driving past at the time. Exchanging a quick hug, Ranma wrapped an arm around his wife's waist as she did to his as they walked back towards the shrine.

No words were exchanged for a while, as they basked in each other's presence, but after a bit Akane seemed to notice that Ranma was acting a little oddly compared to his norm. "Are you ok, Ranma? Did something happen", her concern in her voice evident.

With her arm wrapped around him, she could instantly feel him tense ever so slightly, even though he fought the reaction. Sighing, she revised her question, "Okay, what happened?"

Giving a sigh, the long haired man replied, "Promise you won't get mad, okay... or at least hear me out first..."

Hearing those words come from her husband's lips were never a good thing in Akane's opinion and to be honest; they never were, whether she overreacted or not. Releasing him and taking a step away to get a good look at him, she quickly noticed the dust all over his cloths along with the fact that his hair was in a low ponytail instead of his usual braid. "You were in a fight, weren't you", she deadpanned, lightly crossing her arms as she stopped their forward movement.

Reaching up to scratch the base of his ponytail, he looked slightly away from her gaze, "Yeah... and you ain't going to like who I... er, Ranko, ran into either."

"Who", was the one word question Akane asked back while raising an eyebrow, both at the situation and at the clarification of what form her husband was in at the time.

"Happosai..." After saying that name, Ranma could fully understand the growling his wife was emitting, though he hoped it was directed at the old freak instead of him. However, instead of getting to a full head of steam and exploding, she just seemed to deflate after a moment, causing him to step towards her and as in concern, "Akane? You okay?"

"I guess...", came her tired reply, "I just hoped that we'd have at least a little time to get used to being married before it all started back up." Stepping into his embrace, Akane leaned into his and murmured, "I knew it wouldn't last forever, but we couldn't even step off the train before trouble found us..."

"I'm sorry, Akane", the ponytailed man replied with feeling, "I wish we could have some peace and quiet too, but I'm not going to turn my back on people who can't defend themselves just to get that peace. It goes against everything I've learned as a martial artist... That's one of the few things Pop got right."

"I know... that's one of the insufferable things I love about you, baka", Akane voiced out with mixed emotions as she smiled. "So, what happened this time?"

Feeling better about the situation, the Saotome heir's ability to speak before thinking came into play quickly, as he said, "Oh, nothing much. He was running around being a hentai at the local high school; stealing underwear and copping feels... you know; the usual for him. So, I jump in and kick his wrinkled little butt back to Nerima." He never even thought to tell Akane about the property damage since that happened all the time during his fights in Nerima. The one thing that never happened in Nerima is the thing he commented on a little viciously, "Yeah, the Senshi couldn't even do that."

Blinking while pushing back from her husband, Akane asked with more than a little confusion, "The Senshi?"

"Yeah, they showed up in their short skirts and pretty much...", his words dying out as he thought about just what he was saying. Jerking his eyes directly to his wife's he held out his hands wide, "Well, that's what they were wearing! Just how do you think he'd react? He leapt all over them!"

"So you're telling me that the Sailor Senshi, famous heroines, couldn't handle one old pervert", Akane asked dryly as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"That's exactly what I'm saying", Ranma replied before expanding on it, "Believe me, they tried to fry his ass with lightning or freeze it... hell, one actually got a good shot in and shot him with a wave of fire, but the entire fight was like me just shooting ki-blasts at him and just that. It just won't work on him. From what I did see, their hand to hand is okay at best, but that's not going to stop the freak; no way, no how."

Rubbing the back of his head, Ranma let out a deep, long breath while turning his head to the side, "Really, Akane, I'd like a break from all this shit, too. Wish they'd just leave us the hell alone."

Seeing her husband act this way caused Akane to step back mentally and really look at him. Noticing that he truly seemed tired as his voice betrayed, she reached forward to grasp one of his hands. Pulling forward slightly to get him moving once more, she changed the subject, "Alright... well, were you able to find any clubs at the university?"

Smirking slightly at first, but quickly growing into his usual confident grin, Ranma shook his head, "Naw... You know how the clubs back at Furinkan were. They're a waste of time." Pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket, he held it before her, "I did find this, though. It's a part time teaching job at one of the local schools as a Phys Ed assistant. What's great about it is the fact that I'll get paid and credit for teaching at the university. Two birds with one stone!"

"That's great, Ranma", the short haired woman exclaimed, giving his hand a squeeze. "Of course, I still need to find one, but I'm sure I'll find one soon."

"I'm more worried about finding a place to live", Ranma commented as they moved ever closer to the shrine.

"That too", Akane agreed before she remembered a point of interest, "Oh, while I was looking for one earlier, you wouldn't believe who I ran into."

"Ah", Ranma thought out loud as he pondered that thought but failed, "Okay, who'd you see?"

"Hotaru-chan", his short haired wife exclaimed happily. Her expression dimmed as she noticed the lost look on his face continued, "You know, the little girl that was at the shrine last night." Still seeing that he was lost, she chalked it up to a lost cause, "Anyways, I had a nice long chat with her today. I even found out something extraordinary about her! She can heal people by touching them!"

Hearing that brought Ranma's eyes wide, "Wha... How?"

"I don't know", Akane replied, "She just placed her hand over the cut in mine and it healed." Her expression turned from exuberant to more exasperate when Akane saw Ranma switching into his technique research mode of thinking. "I don't think you can learn this one, Ranma. She doesn't even know how she does it."

Thinking about it for a second more, Ranma gave a shrug, "Oh well... still a cool technique. Wish I could learn it."

"Yeah, it would be nice, wouldn't it", she agreed as she held his hand and they both continued their trek.

oOo

As things normally do, the Senshi meeting turned social gathering slowly came to an end. As the Inner Senshi were preparing to leave, for home, shopping or other, Hotaru saw her chance and moved over to the young miko. During the actual meeting, she had formulated a plan and Rei was the only one she could trust to perform it as well as listen to her seriously. Such as that was, the young girl was still nervous as she approached Rei and tried to start a conversation, "Um... Rei..."

Knowing the young Senshi didn't normally have trouble speaking to her teammates like this, Rei focused on her and asked, "Yes, Hotaru-chan? Is there something wrong?"

Shaking her head quickly, the violet haired girl replied, "No, nothing's wrong... I just... I just wanted to ask you something in private."

Raising her brow slightly, Rei nodded and waved a hand to have Hotaru lead, "Sure, I don't mind."

As they moved through the house into Hotaru's small bedroom, closing the door behind them, the younger girl fidgeted for a moment before starting out, "You said you used a memory technique on Terra..."

Taking the pause as an unasked question, Rei nodded in response, "Yes, I did. She said it helped right before she left us." Giving the girl a curious look, she questioned, "Why do you ask? I thought we went over this earlier."

"Well", Hotaru stalled for a moment, forming the words in her mind, "I... I think I know someone else who's from the Millennium..."

Blinking a few times, the miko simply inquired, "Who?"

"Saotome Akane", was Hotaru's response.

Considering the young girls answer, which was quickly given at that, Rei crossed her arms before her and gave the girl a look, "Who do you think she is?"

If Hotaru wasn't fidgeting before, she was then while standing under Rei's scrutiny, "Um... I'd rather not say right now..."

"I don't think so, Hotaru", the raven haired teen replied with a shake of her head. "You want my help, you have to tell me."

Drooping a bit, the small Senshi of Silence gave a sigh before looking Rei directly in the eye once more. "You have to promise not to laugh at me", she seriously conditioned. Agreeing with a nod, Rei motioned for the girl to go on, to which Hotaru continued by saying, "I think she's my brother from the Silver Millennium."

"And why do you think this", Rei asked, skepticism in her voice.

"Her mannerisms, the way she talks to me...", Hotaru counted off before getting to her most important, "the fact that she remembers me from somewhere but never met me before..."

Studying the smaller female for a moment, Rei asked, "So, why didn't you bring this up during the meeting?"

"Oh, come on", Hotaru let out, exasperated, "You think they would believe me? Even Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama think I'm just seeing things. That's why I asked you in private."

Nodding absentmindedly, knowing the girl's words were true about that point, if not so sure about Akane being her reincarnated brother, Rei thought about the situation for a few moments. Coming to a decision, she locked eyes with the younger girl, "Alright. I'll do it, but only if she lets me. If she doesn't want me to, I'm not going to push her, okay?"

"Okay, I can accept that", Hotaru agreed, knowing that she would have said the same thing if the situation were reversed.

"You seem pretty sure that you're right about this", Rei noted, indicating the girl with a finger.

If anything, those words strengthened Hotaru's visage as she solidly stated, "I know I'm right about this, Rei."

Blinking at the change in character before her, Rei chuckled a bit before jokingly responding, "Whoa, no need to go crazy on me." Shifting back into a more serious mode, she continued by stating, "Anyways, if she has any memories, I'll do my best... if not..." Rei left the rest unsaid but physically shrugged.

"Thank you, Rei", the younger of the two exclaimed as she quickly rushed forward to give the elder a friendly hug.

Joining in on the hug, Rei replied, "It's no problem, Hotaru-chan." Releasing after a moment, they both headed downstairs to find the rest of the Inners ready to go, with Mamoru already gone. After a few parting words, the Senshi scattered to the winds, going their own ways in pairs or alone. As for Rei, she walked with determination as she headed back home to the shrine. She had a request to fulfill and a cousin to look into. With that in mind, she picked up her pace up a notch or two...

oOo

As for the two Hino Rei was rushing home to meet, they found themselves strolling their way closer and closer to the shrine. Neither one was in any real hurry; both having things to ponder over and just enjoying each other's presence as they traveled. The martial artists were getting a few looks as they wandered towards their destination, most of the knowing nature from elderly pedestrians, but neither noticed as they continued on; Ranma with his arm around his wife's waist and Akane's around his with the newlyweds both leaning slightly into one another.

All too soon, though, they arrived at their destination; the newlyweds entering the gates to the Hikawa Shrine once more as the sun started its dip into the skyline. For the second time, the martial artists were treated to the long shadows of the evening stretched over the area, bringing out yet another shade of peaceful tranquility of the shrine. As the climbed the steps to the shrine itself, though, they were surprised to see the door slide open and an elderly man in traditional Shinto priest garb step through.

"Welcome to the Hikawa Shrine", the priest greeted the pair after a quick moment in which he looked them over. "I am Hino Jushiro, elder priest of the shrine. How may assist you", he said, finishing his greeting while letting his eyes discreetly linger over the female of the pair during his examination, all the while smiling sagely.

Squinting his eyes slightly, Ranma lightly leaned in towards the grey haired man as he hesitantly asked, "Grandfather Hino?"

The elder male looked slightly confused for a moment before the sight of revelation washed over his feature, "Ah, you must be Ranma." Looking upon his grandson with different eyes, Jushiro commented, "Well, well, well... Let's have a look at you, son." A moment later, Ranma saw him nod and smile in approval, "You look like you've grown into a strapping young man, Ranma. But now, why don't you introduce me to this fine looking lady with you."

Grinning happily at his grandfather's compliment, he wrapped an arm around the woman's shoulders while saying, "This is my wife, Saotome Akane."

"It's nice to meet you, Grandfather Hino", Akane said, smiling politely as she greeted her grandfather-in-law with as much of a bow as having her husband's arm around her would allow.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, my dear", the man replied with a return smile before moving up to the younger male. Placing a hand on Ranma's shoulder, the elder commented, "You've a good catch, son; she's beautiful. Best take care of her." Releasing the raven haired youth with a quick pat, he added, "Oh, and please, call me Grandpa or, if you must, Grandfather. It's not like I have a lot of grandchildren, there's just you and Rei... well, and Akane if you don't mind being related to an ancient priest like me.

Seeing the light hearted smile on the elder's face, Akane shook her head slightly while replying, "I'd be honored, Grandfather." Changing the topic slightly, she followed up with a question, "By the way, is Rei here?"

Letting out a low hum, Jushiro answered, "No, I'm afraid not. When we arrived, all I found was a note she wrote that said you two were staying in the spare room." Taking a few steps towards the open doorway before turning slightly back around, he coyly said, "Oh, just in case you two feel the need to be newlyweds at night, the walls aren't very well insulated. It's a very old building, I'm afraid, so you might want to try and keep it down." He finished his warning off with a wide grin, hearing the sputtered "Jiji" and "Grandfather" coming from an embarrassed Ranma and Akane respectively.

Composing herself slightly, though the blush was still on her face, Akane stated, "Grandfather, we are waiting until we find an apartment!"

Chuckling a bit, the Hino patriarch patted the air with a hand slightly, "Forgive an old man for having a little fun." Seeing the two fully regain their composure and nod, he motioned towards the doorway, saying, "Well then, shall we go inside and make ourselves comfortable? I'm afraid this evening chill isn't good for my aging bones. Besides, I wish to hear about the things you have been up to since you were last here."

"Sure", Ranma agreed, before motioning down to his soiled cloths, "You mind if clean up a bit first?"

"Not at all, son", Jushiro replied as he started to walk into the shrine proper, "I'll just wait for you in the main hall."

oOo

Closing the door to the borrowed room behind her, Akane turned around to see her husband just removing his outer shirt. As he threw it over into the corner and pulled out another shirt from his backpack, Akane couldn't help but notice the contrast of his loose ponytail against the white muscle shirt he still wore. "What happened to your braid", she inquired.

Sighing slightly as he finished pulling on the clean t-shirt replacement, he replied, "Lost the tie in the fight with Happosai. I was in a rush after that and just forgot to retie it." Examining his pants quickly, before just brushing them off slightly, he looked towards his wife, "Why'd you ask?"

"No reason, I guess", Akane answered, waving a hand idly, "You just never wore it loose like that while back in Nerima."

Straightening up, Ranma nodded at his wife, "yeah, well, before the Dragon's Whisker Soup, I wore it like this all the time..." Shrugging, he admitted, "I just sort of got used to having it tied up in that pigtail after a while." Snorting with a slight grin, he finished with, "At least that issue is done with."

"Yeah", Akane agreed jokingly with a grin while she turned and opened the door once more, "its good you're hair won't all fall out, because you'd look like your father!"

"Hey, don't joke about that", Ranma protested as he chased the fleeing Akane out of the room.

oOo

A few moments later, the pair entered the main hall of the shrine to find not only Grandpa Hino but also Rei occupying the room. As she placed a fresh log on the small fire, which the shrine kept aflame, Rei called out to her cousin's, "Akane, Ranma, how was your day?"

Sitting down on one of the cushions placed in the room, Akane tucked her legs under her and straightened her dress while replying, "It was wonderful! I think I'm going to enjoy going to college here very much."

A moment of silence rolled out before Ranma tried to put up a false grin, "I had an... eventful day." Shrugging slightly, he added, "Don't know if I'll like the classes yet, but I'm going to see the counselor tomorrow to see if I can become a teaching assistant or something in a local school."

"Oh, so you're both going to school here", the elder Hino asked with a curious air. "What are you studying, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I am going to be majoring in Acting", Akane replied before gesturing towards her husband, "While he's majoring in Physical Education."

"Right", Ranma agreed with a nod, "We're going to inherit the Dojo her family owns and I'm going to teach students there when we graduate."

"Ah, teaching is a worthy goal", the aged man intoned, "I wish you the best. But now, let me hear of what you've been up to all these years, Ranma."

Glancing a bit at the short haired woman next to him, Ranma never saw the interested look Rei flashed towards him. After a shared silent conversation, the long haired man let out a low sigh and started his tale, "Well, you know Pop took me on a training trip when I was a kid, right..."

What followed was a long tale of his long training trip that took him throughout Japan and into China; though he edited out the curse and a few other choice events. Eventually, it all wound down as he said, "...and then we came back from China." Shaking his head slightly, he continued with, "It was then that Pop's told me about the engagement and took me to the Tendo's... where I met Akane."

"That was an amazing story, son", Jushiro admitted to his grandson as Rei stared at her cousin. Shaking his head ruefully, he commented, "When Genma told me he planned on taking you around the country on a training trip, he wasn't kidding!" His countenance grew dark though as the other three heard him say, "But I _am_ disappointed that he left my daughter alone for over a decade!"

"Pop did send letters all the time", Ranma offered up in his father's defense, though it was really only a token effort.

"Yes, well, that still doesn't excuse the fact that he could have gone home _sometime_ during that training trip", the elder replied in seriousness before deflating some, "but what has happened, has happened... No use getting all bent out of shape about it." Cocking his head slightly, he refocused his gaze on the other male, "So, you've been back in Japan for two years, then? What have you been up too since you got back?"

Another low sigh escaped the Saotome heir as he shook his head in tiredness. Raising his gaze back up, he noticed Rei's piercing stare and quirked his brow slightly before opening his mouth to reply. Just before he was about to start, he was halted when Jushiro raised his hand in a stopping motion, "Never mind about that, son. I see you need a break from telling the past." Hearing that, Ranma let out a slightly relieved breath, only to suck it in once more when he heard his grandfather ask, "I do need to ask, though, did you know you have a spell or magical aura surrounding you?"

Rei's eyes narrowed at the not only the reaction from the raven haired martial artist but also the one Akane gave to the question; as the young woman put her fingers to her forehead and let out a slight groan. She didn't know exactly why the two were reacting this way, but it was no doubt important and considering the events that happened during the day, she wanted to know what it was. Her curiosity as it was, the young priestess leaned forward in interest as her cousin started speaking.

"I picked it up in China, Grandpa", Ranma replied as he looked the elder priest in the eyes, "Pops got a stupid idea to go training somewhere we shouldn't have been and I got cursed because of it."

Scrunching his brow, Jushiro clenched and unclenched one of his hands as he asked, "A curse? What makes you think it's a curse?"

This time, it was Ranma's turn to raise an eyebrow, "What makes you think it isn't?"

"Well, son, I don't know what it is because you haven't told me yet, but when I felt it earlier, and even now, it doesn't _feel_ like a curse would", the priest explained, "It's magic, true, but not evil."

"It might not be evil, but it's sure made my life hard with all the constant fights that spring up because of it", Ranma retorted, "I may have gotten used to it, but that's really because none of the cures I've found worked." Shaking his head with a deep exhale, Ranma grimaced, "Really, all the, so called, cures have just made things worse. What I'm... we're looking for right now, is just a little peace so we can get used to being married. We left Nerima just for that reason." Standing to his feet, the Saotome male bowed slightly to his grandfather, saying, "I've got to prepare for bed. I've got an early day planned for tomorrow. Excuse me."

Watching his annoyed grandson exit the room, the Hino patriarch let out a sigh before turning towards his new granddaughter-in-law, "It seems in his haste, he forgot to tell me what exactly his 'curse' is. Would you mind telling me about it?"

Gnawing on her bottom lip for a moment, Akane looked towards the hallway Ranma had just left from. "Well... it's not my place to say, really...", she started out with, but seeing the concern in the elderly man's eyes, along with the odd look in Rei's, Akane decided to cover for her husband. "I guess you should know that since he was cursed, weird events just keep happening around him. Nothing harmful, considering that it's Ranma we're talking about, but it still can get annoying."

"But why did he react like that", Rei asked out before she could catch herself.

Frowning slightly, Akane responded by saying, "It's just a touchy subject right now for us. Like he said, we were hoping for some peace and quiet so we could just get used to being married." Sighing slightly, she confided in her new relatives, "You don't know this, but our engagement wasn't the best times of our lives. The events that popped up due to his curse kept us from really coming together until just this past six months or so, what with the extra fiancées and all the crazy fighters looking for duels."

"Just after he showed up in Nerima, people just kept showing up on an almost daily basis to either marry him or fight him in a duel, sometimes to the death though it never went that far. Usually, they were both for really stupid reasons, with the fiancées due to Ranma's father's poor judgment or, in an extreme case, because they were defeated in combat and their crazy laws say so. Really, that's the most annoying part of the curse, since these things seemed to happen almost every day." Akane paused for a breath and shook her head, "I really thought we'd get to relax some after leaving Nerima."

Having heard the story from Hotaru earlier, Rei silently responded with a nod. Her grandfather, though, sat with a thoughtful look on his face before looking towards Akane and asking, "From what was said earlier, a big part of Ranma's life is his martial arts, correct?"

Nodding, Akane replied, "He's practically obsessed with it. Constantly finding a way to improve... to beat the next challenger that might show up."

"If that's the case, then I don't think it's much of a curse at all", he stated, "in fact, it might just be a blessing in disguise."

"What makes you think that, Grandpa", Rei asked, not knowing where her grandfather was going with this.

"Think about it this way; if you want to get better at school, you study and take tests. For martial arts the tests are all the fights you get into, either spars in a dojo or real ones", he explained. Turing towards the newest member of his family, he mused, "I assume after all these fights he's been in; he is very skilled."

Giving a tired laugh as she thought about how Ranma would normally react if he was in the room, she stated, "I'm more than a bit biased, but he's probably one of the best martial artists in Japan right now." Seeing the skeptical look on the man's face, she decided to just throw it out since Rei already knew, "If it helps, he can use his ki internally to boost his performance or throw it out offensively as a blast."

Even as the priest's eyes widened, his granddaughter by blood agreed with the statement by saying, "It's true. He pulled out an orb of ki last night and let me examine it."

Looking at Rei with surprise but nodded a moment later before turning back to Akane. "I'll have to ask him about that later. For one so young, such as him, to achieve this level of skill is simply amazing", he muttered under his breath as he watched the Saotome female. A little louder, he asked, "I take it that he wasn't always able to do this?"

"No, he wasn't", Akane stated in response, "it wasn't until one of his rivals learned to do so, before Ranma learned how to." Shaking her head once more, she noted, "That's usually how things go with him. Someone comes up with a new technique and he develops a counter to it before coming out on top in the end. Ranma's learned many techniques this way."

"And this is why I think his curse is really a blessing", the elderly priest stated as his point was made.

With a confused look across her face, Akane let out, "So you're saying that since he's gotten stronger because of all the fights and the fights are caused by the curse; the curse really isn't a curse?"

"Exactly", he stated with a nod.

"Okay", Akane hesitantly said, "I guess I could agree with that, somewhat. But you have to still admit that it happening all the time can get real annoying."

"Well, it's like any good thing, too much of it can be bad for you", the elder admitted, "but it looks like you've both handled it well." With that, the man stood from his cushion and stretched out his lower back before saying, "Well, that's my opinion on it, really, and I doubt Ranma wants to hear about it tonight so I think I'll save it for another time. If you don't mind, though, please ask him if I could see his ki technique sometime, but for now, I think these old bones need to rest."

The two females watched the elderly man make his way towards the bedrooms of the shrine, following the same path Ranma took not too long before. Once he had exited, Rei took that moment to try her chances with Akane. "I saw Hotaru-chan today", she started, gaining Akane's attention instantly, "You must have made a big impression on her because she couldn't stop talking about you."

With a smile at the memory, Akane nodded, "Yeah, we talked a good bit this afternoon. She's a nice girl, though she doesn't seem to have many friends..." Frowning slightly, she muttered just loudly enough for Rei to hear, "I just wish I knew why she seemed so familiar when we first met..."

"You think you've met her before", Rei asked, trying to lead Akane along to the desired point in the planned conversation.

"Yeah, it's kind of odd", Akane agreed, unknowingly following along. "I'm sure I've met her before, but I just can't remember where and it's a little annoying."

"Well...", Rei started, trying to sound a little reluctant while eagerly wanting to jump in head first, "I do know a memory technique that might help."

"Really", the short haired girl replied while blinking. Figuring this out would be one less thing on her mind and she really wanted to find out more about the little purple haired girl from anything that might be locked up in her memory. Thinking about all the Amazon 'memory techniques' she'd come across, though, she couldn't help but prudently ask, "Is it dangerous?"

Waving a hand dismissively, Rei answered, "Oh, it's quiet harmless. The worst thing that will happen is that you don't have any memories to unlock and we just wasted a little time."

Thinking about it for another moment, Akane came to her conclusion and nodded, "Alright, what do I need to do?"

Moving over to the seated woman, Rei instructed, "Just sit there and relax. It will also help if you focus your thoughts on Hotaru while I perform the technique." Placing her hands to the side of Akane's head, Rei asked, "Are you ready?" With a slight nod from the woman before her, the priestess activated the technique.

One moment, Akane was waiting for something to happen with the feeling of Rei's hands on the sides of her head. The next... images flooded her mind, hundreds... thousands of them, most with Hotaru in them, though it wasn't really Hotaru at the same time. A purple haired girl in an elaborate gown, Hotaru holding a vicious-looking pole-arm weapon that looked like a cross between two different weapons. A castle which she knew Hotaru lived in, a forge with her presence in the same room...

The images kept flooding in, feeling like years worth of memories until, like someone flipping a light switch, it all stopped.

With a gasp, Akane threw her hands to the floor behind her to keep from falling back as she jerked away from the priestess before her. Seeing Rei's blinking, blank gaze, she asked, "What... what was that?!"

"I... I think it worked", Rei responded hesitantly before a full body shiver shook her. Coming more into her senses, she elaborated, "I know I unlocked _something_... what it was, I don't know."

Nodding slowly, Akane pushed herself fully upright on the cushion before bringing a hand to her eyes. "Oh... I feel dizzy", she complained.

Feeling the drain from having performed the technique twice this day and not being in her Senshi form this time, Rei suggested, "Maybe we should head off to bed. I'm feeling drained from the technique..."

"Maybe you're right", Akane agreed, trying to push herself to her feet, but stumbled around a bit before Rei quickly assisted. After a moment, Akane shook her head once more and murmured, "Thanks, Rei. I should be able to make it now."

"Alright, Akane", the priestess said, "I need to finish up in here real quick. Sleep well." Seeing the silent wave from the departing woman, Rei looked towards the Great Fire and added another log to it. 'So Hotaru was right... Akane is a reincarnation, but of whom... I don't know yet', she thought, as she pulled out a paper from her priestess garb that held a drawing of multiple pools of water. Looking from it to the Great Fire, the priestess sighed and stuffed it back into her haori. 'I'm too tired to try right now... I'll get to it in the morning', she relented as she turned out the lights to the room, leaving the fire light dancing off the walls as she left.

oOo

When Akane finally made it to the room she and Ranma shared, she was running on her last reserves of energy. As she staggered through the threshold and closed the door behind her, Ranma looked over from where he was laying on his futon. "Hey, you ok, Akane", he asked in concern.

Waving it off, Akane replied, "Yeah, I'm just really tired..." True to her words, she quickly stripped down to her underwear and crawled into her own futon that Ranma had set out for her, not bothering to slip on her pajamas.

Feeling the light blush on his cheeks, he finally looked back towards his wife as he heard her climb under the sheets. Even with marriage, old habits die hard and by the time he looked over, she was fast asleep. "Wow... she wasn't kidding", Ranma murmured as he reached over to turn off the light, flooding the room with darkness.

Just before setting down to sleep himself, he leaned over to his wife, wiped some hair out of her face to tuck it behind an ear and then kissed her softly. "Sleep well and have good dreams", the raven haired martial artist wished for his wife. Her only reply was to snuggle closer to the center of the two futons as he settled down himself. A few moments later, only the soft sounds of two people in deep slumber could be heard in the room...

End of Chapter 8

oOo

A/N -

Keigo - Honorifics in Japanese are broadly referred to as **keigo** (敬語, literally "respectful language"), and fall under three main categories: _sonkeigo_ (尊敬語), respectful language; _kensongo_ (謙遜語) or _kenjōgo_ (謙譲語), humble language; and _teineigo_ (丁寧語), polite language. Linguistically, the former two are referent honorifics, used for someone being talked **about**, and the last is an addressee honorific, used for someone being talked **to**.  
- So, what does that mean when Akane and Ranma tell Hotaru and Mamoru that they don't need to use Keigo? It means, basically, 'I'm comfortable enough with you that we can talk like friends.' Usually, in fanfics where we don't actually use full Japanese sentences, it means to drop the -san, -sama or -dono suffix to someone's name. Also, the two characters can talk more relaxed around each other since they are 'friends' and not 'strangers' to each other any more.  
- One should note that there are people and characters who just dont use keigo no matter the situation. If you want a canon character who doesn't use keigo, examine Ichigo from the Bleach universe. He just simply doesn't use it, which makes him more of a 'ruffian' or 'troublemaker' in the eyes of some, mainly the nobles and higher ranking persons in the universe he comes across.

Anyways, thanks to Mizuno Tenshi2 for suggesting I write this up.

Return


	9. Chapter 9

**Fated Pasts, Chaotic Future**

A Ranma ½ and Sailor Senshi crossover Fanfic

Written by: Konsaki

This Fanfic was inspired by and uses source material from 'Lines of Destiny', a dead Fanfic created by Louis-Philippe Giroux.

oOo

Images flashed and streamed... Sounds drifted past in counter explosions... Up became down which became depth... The dreamer fell through the nothingness with feet planted firmly... Light pierced the darkness but the dreamer didn't know if it was to welcome it...

Then, the world broke...

"...Kanma!"

Reacting on pure instinct, Kanma burrowed himself deeper into his pillow to escape the girl's voice while grumbling out in his sleeper's daze, "...away, 'rika... Trying... sleep..."

The other being in the room just watched with anticipation, as she silently counted down in her head. She never reached zero, though, as she watched the form under the covers jerk sitting upright and swivel his head to point directly at her. She could only giggle as his eyes finally focused in and he fully realized the one awakening him, "Rika?!"

"Good morning, big brother", Verika happily replied through her small fit of laughter, caused by the sight of the male with an extremely bad case of bed hair. Her laughter stuttered to a halt, though, to be replaced with a quick flush as she jerked her gaze away a moment later.

As he rose from the bed, feeling the cool stone tile beneath his feet, Kanma couldn't help but quirk his brow in confusion at the swift change in emotions in his sister. Seeing her eyes flicker of their own freewill towards him, but not at his face, he looked downward to be reminded of what he was and wasn't wearing. "Well, what do you expect", Kanma replied in exasperation, shaking his head as he moved towards a nearby chair which he had draped his pants on the night before.

Verika tried to keep her eyes averted while the First Prince of Saturn started dressing himself. "At least you were wearing _something_...", she muttered out in mild relief, remembering the few times she had woken her brother up without that being true.

"Hey, now", the long haired male called out as he looped his belt, "_You're_ the one who came into my room uninvited, Rika." Shaking his head slightly, Kanma couldn't help but grin as he finished with his pants and moved forward to envelope his younger sister in a hug, "By the Rings, it's been too long, Rika! It's good to see you!"

"And you too", Verika agreed as she actively participated in the embrace, feeling the strength of her brother's arms around her for the first time in months. "It feels good to be back, if only for a little while..."

They stayed that way for a second before Kanma released his sister to move over to grab a shirt that was draped over his desk chair. "You must have just gotten here, since I told Dain to let me know if you showed up", he mused as he stuffed his arms through the sleeves and tied the front closed in its overlapping style.

Nodding, the shorter of the two siblings replied, "We just arrived not long ago." As almost an afterthought, she added, "Oh, and don't get mad at Dain. He was ill and sent to the healer... at least that's what Sover told me when I asked where he was."

"Ah...", Kanma answered as he slid his boots on, stuffing his tan pants legs into the dark burned brown leather. "I'll have to see how he's doing later." Giving them one last quick tap on the stone flooring, the prince stood up while adjusting nonexistent cuffs on his shirt and giving a loud sniff that matched his following faux aristocratic voice, "Well then, Princess Verika, Honored Senshi of Saturn, to what do we owe the great honor of your visit?"

Trying to stifle a giggle at her brother's antics, and failing, Verika curtsied after a moment. "Merely a routine report, Prince Kanma, First Knight of Saturn", she replied in a matching tone, playing in on the usual joke on the noble courtiers. The faux serious air the two were portraying crashed only seconds later, the siblings falling into chuckling laughter which echoed off the interior walls of Kanma's room.

"So, you need to see Mom and Dad, then", Kanma figured as he moved towards the door. Seeing his sister's nod, he asked as he opened the portal, "Mind if I walk you there?"

Smiling widely, the young princess stepped out as she responded, "Do you even need to ask? Of course I would like that."

Chuckling, Kanma stepped out after her. "Yes, I guess it was a foolish question", he admitted as they started their trek. "So, was it just another bout of training with Pluto this past quarter or did anything interesting happen?"

Instead of hearing the expected answer to his question, Kanma noticed his sister tightening her steps and tensing silently. Concerned, he inquired, "What's wrong, 'Rika?"

The violet haired girl seemed to steel herself with a slightly shaky breath, even as she slowed her pace. Kanma waited patiently as the seconds passed, ignoring the random servant who wandered by in the hallway in favor for the reaction Verika was exhibiting. He was rewarded, eventually, when she finally started with, "There was a plague that broke out on Nereid…"

When she went silent, the dark haired male asked, "That's Neptune's moon with the rare mineral mining colony, right?"

"It was", Verika confirmed with a morose voice before she stalled under the emotional undercurrent. "I rushed over when I found out", she started back up once more, her voice cracking even as her sight started to blur, "but… but I couldn't do anything!"

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders in an effort to comfort, the first prince stated solemnly, "I'm sorry… you can't save everyone, though…"

"That's not it", she exclaimed in response, "I never even got the chance to try and heal them!" Pulling back slightly, Verika stared up with her dark eyes into Kanma's brown, "When I ported onto Nereid, they denied my help and sent me away!" Gaining a hurt look, she whispered out, "They said they would rather take their chances fighting off the plague than deal with the 'Senshi of Death and Destruction'…"

Taking a deep breath, Kanma placed a hand atop his sister's head while continuing to look into her eyes. "They were fools", he stated solidly, though with sorrow for the loss in the background. Nodding to himself minutely, he assured his sister, "It's not your fault, 'Rika."

"I know", she replied as she wiped at her eyes, pushing back from her brother to stand on her own. "I just wish people would look beyond that… Like you and Goku...", Verika intoned, gaining a slightly more positive lilt at the end.

"Oh, so he managed to show up again", the taller of the two inquired with a more noticeable change in tone, thankful for the chance to change the subject to one a little more upbeat.

Caught with the slip, Verika felt her cheeks heat slightly even as Kanma shook his head ruefully with a grin on his lips. Really, that's all he could do when he thought about the slight crush his sister had on the young Jovian boy who had a most unusual magical talent; the ability to self teleport around the Sol system. The boy had the powers to easily perform the feat but sorely lacked the control needed to direct the powers he innately wielded; giving Goku the ability but making it almost completely random.

After a chance encounter involving the Jovian youth porting into the Saturn Royal Castle, Kanma and the court mages investigated the issue the boy had. As much as they could, they tried to teach the un-ranked mage some control techniques required for safe teleportation. Of course, they only got so far before he disappeared once more, but after that first encounter, he just kept showing up. More than half of those were attributed to purely accidental occurrences though.

Kanma found the boy to be interesting on the fact that the youth, who couldn't perform any other feats of magic, seemed to perform a near perfect teleportation, if random in destination. Mages of the first circle and the Senshi could perform the same feat, having had years of experience in magic or planetary wells of mana behind them, but Goku had neither. What made the entire thing more interesting to the Saturnian Mages was the fact that none of them could identify exactly how he performed the feat, even though it seemed that the focusing techniques used by mages helped at least somewhat.

Seeing his sister's blushing face and embarrassed body language, Kanma nudged her in the shoulder while grinning slightly, "So, you're boyfriend port in on purpose or accidently?"

"He's not my boyfriend", the shorter royal almost yelled back in a scandalized voice, drawing the attention of the few guards other personnel walking the hallway they had just turned down. Seeing the faces turned towards her, the flush on her cheeks grew hotter as Verika declared, "He's just a friend and it was completely accidental!"

"Okay, okay", her brother said in response, holding his hands up in a defensive gesture, "So, he's just a friend, got it."

Eyeing her brother, and noting that he still held a grin, Verika dropped her voice back to normal levels as she continued, "Anyways, his last visit was accidental…" Looking thoughtful for a moment, she corrected her statement slightly, "Or at least _where_ he teleported in was."

Watching with interest, Kanma heard Verika giggle a bit before explaining, "One night, I heard two screams from the baths, which was odd since it was just Pluto and myself there. I was still transformed and ran there to find Pluto chasing Goku out of the baths, him yelling out apologies as fast as he could while dodging Pluto's staff." Shaking her head ruefully while smiling, she noted, "She might have accepted it a bit better if he wasn't sporting a nosebleed. Of course, she forgave him eventually."

"You have to be kidding me", Kanma replied with a disbelieving shake of his head, "He actually walked in on Pluto bathing? And survived?"

"He didn't mean to", the princess replied with a slight heave, "though she did give him a good tongue lashing afterwards and threatened to do something… unpleasant if it ever happened again."

"I can guess", her brother responded, thinking about what the Plutonian princess might consider 'unpleasant'. He then blinked for a moment before asking, "Wait a second, he surprised her? I thought that was impossible…"

"Don't tell anyone", Verika started to reply conspiratorially, leaning in towards her brother, "but she just _wants_ people to think that. She's human, just like you and I." Smiling slightly in a moment of silence, she moved back to a normal pace in her step before saying, "But enough of that, Pluto wouldn't be happy with me if she heard I was telling _anyone_ about that. How have things been here at home?"

"Things haven't really changed since the last time you were here, sister", Kanma replied with a wave of his hand. "There's training with the other warmages, but I mainly work on my projects", he clarified; to which Verika nodded, knowing how Kanma worked in his forge in his free time. She quirked her brow, though, as he let out a sigh and continued, "And Mother has been stepping up her efforts to marry me off…"

"Well, you are getting older", Verika replied with a sly grin.

Frowning down at his sister, Kanma flatly replied, "I'm nineteen, 'Rika… and you're only two years younger."

"Fine, then", the girl shrugged off, "but I still don't know why you haven't found someone yet."

Snorting in annoyance, he waved off into the distance while saying, "It's all the girls she keeps choosing! They're either a stuck up noble or so timid that they'd faint if I so much as frowned at them." Shaking his head, he asked rhetorically, "Is it too much to ask that she leave it alone or at least find a girl who's normal?"

"It can't be that bad", Verika countered half heartedly.

"I've had to… court five different girls in the past month", he evenly replied.

"Oh", was the princess' only response for a moment, until she coughed slightly into her hand and asked, "Well, how have you made anything interesting lately? You were talking about something in the last letter you sent, but I can't remember…"

"Oh, those", he exclaimed slightly, quickly identifying what his sister was talking about, "Yes, I finished those two staves just a few weeks ago. I'm really proud of them, actually. It took me a month on each to complete."

"A month for each staff", Verika questioned in sight disbelief, "Why did it take so long?"

"They were a special request and the mechanics involved with the enchanting were extremely tricky", he explained. "In fact, I was planning on taking a trip to Terra to make sure they are working properly."

"And escaping Mother has nothing to do with it", the shorter of the two siblings intoned with a knowing smile.

"Of course", Kanma replied as if agreeing with someone who said Sol was hot.

"So, who was the last one that mother tried to pair you with?"

Shaking his head while looking skyward, Kanma let out an exasperated sigh. "The last one was actually Father's doing. I think they're both getting desperate, or at least he's tiring of Mother's efforts and just wants to have it done and over with", he clarified.

"And she was…", Verika prodded, knowing Kanma was going to try and edge out of answering her question.

It still took a few seconds before he evenly stated, "Lady Ayellin from Neptune."

Silence held between the two siblings for more than a few steps before the young Senshi of Saturn scrunched her eyebrows, "Wasn't she the one who…"

"Yes", Kanma replied, cutting his sister off while still keeping the flat tone.

"Oh… Well, better you than me, I guess", she admitted with a shrug a moment later.

"I'm glad you care so much…", the dark haired male returned wryly to her responding grin as they arrived at the doors to the Royal Audience Hall.

The Senshi of Saturn's features turned slightly more downtrodden; exhaling a sigh before transforming into her Senshi uniform with a burst of light and color. Following that, she pulled the Silence Glaive out of its dimensional pocket while puting up a weak smile, "Time to give my report… then it's back out-system…"

"Why are you leaving so soon? I thought you would at least stay a few days", Kanma questioned in confusion.

"A meeting with Setsuna which cannot wait", Saturn replied with a roll of her eyes. "Sometimes I wish she would be a little more flexible." Giving a shake of her head, she surrendered, "There isn't much I can do about it, though, and she usually has a reason for it. But let's just get this over with…"

Kanma just nodded as he placed his hand on the door and willed it inward, the innate magic in them heeding his wants to swing silently open. When the portal had fully opened, both brother and sister made their way inside, the doorway silently closing behind them. Seeing as this was the room used for private audiences, the two royals did not have to go very far before coming up to the slightly raised dais which held their parents in the customary thrones.

Their father, King Koruan, sat ever stoically to the right of his wife, Queen Luania. The queen was less than stoic as she looked down on her son and one of her daughters. "Prince Kanma, couldn't you dress in something more befitting your station? It isn't becoming to dress in those ragged leathers like that…", she asked with a frown, as only a royal mother could.

Kanma looked down at his clothing and sighed, deciding to forgo the usual discussion on his choice of clothing. He admitted, if only in his mind, that his work cloths he used in the forge weren't befitting for a royal audience, even if the royalty were your own parents. Nodding in acceptance, he flashed a hand through a quick set of gestures before speaking out, his voice low in volume but resonating out with power, "Mjollnir, to me!"

Only a moment later, a warhamer seemed to materialize out of thin air to hang before the prince. Grasping the weapon firmly in hand, he rapped the base of the handle on the stone tile floor. In that split second, the work cloths he wore morphed and rolled across his form to turn into his warmage armor. A dark-violet breastplate with golden etching provided a regal look yet one of powerful function; matching greaves and vambraces covering his shins and forearms with a flowing cape of matching color on his back completing the look.

King Koruan disregarded the questioning look and following nod of approval between his son and wife, choosing instead to focus in on the youngest of his daughters; the Senshi of Saturn. "Welcome back, Sailor Saturn", he intoned in a regal voice, nodding towards the violet haired youth. "We would hear of your report now."

"Yes, my liege", Saturn responded with a slight bow. "In the past three months, Sailor Pluto and I responded to twenty-three different events ranging from..."

oOo

"So... another 'Thank you for the report. You are dismissed'", Kanma growled out with more than a bit of ire. "Sometimes I just can't believe our parents. Can't they just treat you like you're their daughter, at least while you're here?"

Letting out a soft sigh, Saturn just shook her head at her brother's complaint, "Don't make such a fuss about it, Kanma. I've grown used to it..."

"You shouldn't have to", the older of the two muttered out before placing a hand on her shoulder, "Well, you'll never have to worry about that from me, little sis. I still see you as the same annoying crybaby you always were."

The violet haired girl lightly jabbed her brother in the ribs with an elbow in response, not quite removing the grin on his face. She also couldn't hide her own grin as she replied vocally, "And you'll always be an arrogant jerk, but I wouldn't want it any other way."

Kanma just let out a chuckling laugh as he ruffled his sister's hair in a brotherly gesture, while having her squirm out of his reach to try and put it back into place. The rest of the trek to the gateway chamber was filled with more of the same sibling antics, as they both tried to make up for lost time, along with general conversation. All too soon, though, they arrived to their destination, two portal mages of the first circle standing ready to perform their appointed duty.

"Well, I guess this is it", Kanma noted with a hint of melancholy in his voice. "I'll keep writing to you... You are receiving them, right?"

"Yes, I am", the Senshi responded with a small smile, "It's one of the few things I have to look forward to."

"Good", the Crown Prince muttered before they fell into a moment of silence. A moment later, he moved over to envelope the shorter female in a tight hug, "By the Rings... I'm going to miss you, 'Rika!"

"I will miss you as well", she responded back, joining in the hug, ignoring the two mages who were in turn professionally ignoring the two royal youths. After a few seconds, she pushed back to rub at her eyes, "I'll be back when I can."

Kanma could only nod silently as she moved away from him to stand before the inactive gateway. With nary a word or gesture, the two mages performed the spell which energized the portal, causing it to fill in with a bright deep blue miasma. Sparing only a moment to look into the swirling energy, the youngest princess of Saturn stepped through, never hearing her brother whisper, "Be safe, 'Rika..."

Without a sound, the portal closed with the will of the two mages, removing all trace that it was ever open there save for the lingering magic hanging in the air, though even that was quickly dissipating. Knowing the mechanics behind powering the gateway, though not having enough power to do so himself; Kanma leaned against one of the walls as he silently let the two mages recover their strength. After more than enough time had passed, his voice broke the two mages out of the idle chatter they were engaged in, "Could I bother you to open a portal to Earth?"

"Yes, please do that", an easily recognizable female voice added, to which the two mages snapped to sharp attention.

Turning his head, Kanma saw his mother at the entryway to the chamber, though she wasn't dressed in her fine regal clothing that he saw her in during his sister's report. No, Queen Luania was dressed in one of the formal dresses she usually wore when traveling to another's royal domain. Scrunching his brow slightly, the prince asked his mother, "What is this about, Mother?"

"Oh, nothing much, my son", Luania responded with a slightly dismissive wave. "I am just meeting with King Endymion and Queen Layla to discuss a few diplomatic issues that have come up recently." Nodding to herself, she continued by commenting, "I find it a pleasant occasion that you would be able to accompany me."

The Prince might not have known exactly what his mother was up to, but he knew two things; he didn't like the glimmer he saw in her eye and he 'knew' that her last statement was nothing more than a veiled command. "Of course, Mother", he answered with a slight bow, moving away from the wall to stand before the portal as the mages started reaching the end of their spell.

oOo

Feeling the magic wash over him as he stepped through the portal, Prince Kanma of Saturn blinked a few times, not due to the magic but because of the shift in lighting. Taking a few paces forward, unconsciously following his mother's steps, he couldn't help but note the differences in the Terran Palace's architecture compared to his own royal abode. Before he got too far into his examinations, Luania's voice called out, "Come, my son, you should at least greet the King and Queen while you are here. After that, you may pursue whatever it was you had planned."

"I will, Mother, but I need to see something first", he stated, looking into her eyes. "It will only take a moment..."

After a second to scrutinize her son, Luania nodded in acceptance with a small smile, "It is good you wish to explore, but do not tarry, my son. I will be speaking with the King and Queen in the meanwhile."

"Yes, Mother", the First Prince responded, bowing respectfully before breaking away down a hallway at random. He let out a relieved breath when his mother started off in another direction from the way he was going. 'Wow, it's been a while since I walked these hallways', he thought to himself as he recognized an intersection and turned down the desired path. 'I wonder what Mother is up to... I'm sure she has _something_ planned, but what it might be', he pondered as he moved along at a good pace.

Soon enough, his ponderings were thrown away as he stopped before an entire wall of clear glass to look at the scene outside. "Amazing...", he unconsciously let out in awe as he observed the bright blue skies which shown clearly through the barrier. Comparing the azure sky to his home planet's dim purplish glow, Kanma was stunned. Of course, the differences didn't stop there; the vegetation being more lush and bountiful in the fertile soils of the Sol system's home world.

Through his entire life, he had seen pictures, paintings and videos of Terra. Kanma had even visited in person twice before and, same as then, he found himself stunned at the amazing contrast of the greens of the trees and plants which contrasted beautifully with the crystal spires of the Atlantian spires which rose out of the ground. Flicking his eyes from one spire to the other, he blinked as he noticed Terra's moon hanging clearly in the sky, even though it was only drawing towards midday on the planet.

'A lot has changed here', he mused as he noted the changes to the garden outside; both to the vegetation and sculptures. Shaking his head ruefully, he chided himself, "Of course things have changed... It's been almost five years since I was last here."

'Five years...', he repeated mentally, taking a breath as memories surfaced of his last time on Terra. He and his mother were visiting the Terran royal family and to Kanma, it was almost as if meeting Prince Endymion and Princess Akana for the first time. The first time had been when he was only six years old and only for a few hours, which didn't lend well to remembering the Terran children clearly. At fourteen though, Kanma was more than able to remember the two youths, as well as their parents, though that experience was also only a few hours long.

Before he could dive too deeply into his own memories a crystalline chiming tolled the hour, bringing the Saturnian prince back to the real world. "Well", the dark haired male sighed, "Guess I should get this over with..."

With that, he started walking the halls, pondering on his way to the Terran throne room. It didn't take him too long to find or reach his destination, the royal guards standing outside the overly large doorway being a clear indication. It was easily seen that the guards were expecting him too, silently swinging open the well maintained doors without preamble. Of course, the silently opening doors only seemed to amplify a young woman's indignant cry of, "What!?"

'Please don't be what I think this is', Kanma mentally pleaded as he stepped into the large hall with a slight frown on his lips. Almost immediately, he noticed the small gathering ahead, his mother easily seen standing near the seated King and Queen of Terra. His gaze didn't linger long on the three adults at the fore, instead it was drawn towards the obviously agitated Senshi who was flanked by a male in dark armor on one side and an older woman who shared the younger's red hair, if only to a darker shading.

Identifying the figure in armor to be Endymion, Kanma quickly recognized the Senshi next to him as his sister, Akana. Blinking in shock, the Saturnian prince could only think in wonder, 'Wow... she's grown up since I last saw her...' Almost immediately, realizing exactly where his eyes were realizing how Akana had grown, he mentally slapped himself, 'Eye's above the neck, idiot! Keep at least some formal decorum!'

The events playing out continued on, the King's voice rolling out in a deep commanding tone, "This is not debatable, Sailor Terra. It has already been decided upon."

Endymion followed his father's words by placing a hand on his sister's shoulder while lowly saying, "It isn't as horrible as you make it out to be, sister. Princess Serenity and I..."

"Knew each other long before the decision was made for you", Terra interrupted in a clearly annoyed manner. "I don't even get the same courtesy!"

"Terra! You are a Senshi", the woman beside her broke in, her displeasure palatable, "remember to act like one; especially during a royal audience!"

Wincing at the chastisement, Terra responded in a slightly meeker voice, "Understood, Aunt Freya."

Relating easily to how the Terran princess was feeling, Kanma let out a minute breath just before the sound of his mother's voice called out t him, "Ah, my son, you have finally arrived. I trust you have finished your sightseeing?"

"Yes, Mother", he replied back with a nod, closing the distance towards the gathered royalty. Coming to a halt at a respectable distance from all involved, Kanma bowed respectably towards the planet's ruler, "Greetings, King Endymion, Queen Layla. I, Prince Kanma, First Knight and Warmage of Saturn, am at your service."

"Greetings to you as well, Prince Kanma", King Endymion intoned back, following standard court protocol though his voice showed true interest, "Queen Luania has informed me that you plan on visiting King Saffron's kingdom during your time on Planet Terra."

Flicking his gaze over toward his mother for a moment, Kanma wondered how much she had been spying in on his activities, "That is correct, sir. I plan on checking on how a pair of staves I created, at his request, are operating. Why do you ask?"

"I am in need of a diplomatic mission to ensure King Saffron's aid in culling the demon and youma threat, should it rise to that point", the aging king responded. "Since you are headed there in your own business, I was hoping that, as the First Knight of Saturn, you would escort my envoy for safe travel."

"I would be honored to assist", the young prince responded, knowing there was some intrigue going on but still wondering exactly what it might be. "Just inform me of where the diplomat is and we will prepare for departure."

Waving his hand dismissively, King Endymion stated, "There is no need for that, young prince, for she is already here." Hearing that, Kanma could only blink before the final piece of the puzzle was set in place, "I wish for you to accompany my daughter, Sailor Terra, as she completes the diplomatic mission in my stead."

Before he even had a chance to respond, Sailor Terra's voice broke out once more, "Father, I do not need an escort for such a journey! I have already proven myself capable of performing that trip many times over and that was before I gained Senshi status!"

Furrowing his brow, Kanma looked over to the agitated princess in the Senshi uniform. He could easily empathize with the female, having finally put together the fact that his mother and her own parents were trying to make them 'get to know one another', but the hostility still tweaked something inside him. Kanma chose to take the better part of valor and stayed silent while the Terran princess was vocally disciplined by her father, "As I already have said, I have decided on the matter and Prince Kanma here has accepted. The matter is closed; do you understand me, Akana?"

"Yes, father", the young woman growled out, her continuing displeasure apparent. Sending a glare that scanned from her father around to her brother, she hissed, "I hope you have fun at the ball, brother." Not bothering to wait for a reply, she stalked towards the doors to the audience hall, opening them with a wave of her hand while calling back to the visiting prince, "I will be in the portal chambers. Don't keep me waiting."

After the fuku clad female left the chambers, King Endymion gave a slight sigh, "My apologies for my daughter's rebellious attitude. She is upset for the fact that she wished to attend Princess Serenity's ball tonight, but as Prince Endymion must attend as her betrothed, I am unable to send him to Mount Phoenix as I normally would."

"I take no offense, your majesty", Prince Kanma lied. Of course he took offense, but only mild annoyance from the princess, who he could relate to. No, he took offense from his mother's meddling in his personal life, though he couldn't show it due to proper protocol that needed to followed. The most he could do was hastening his departure, "Now, by your leave, we shall depart to Mount Phoenix." With a nod from the King, the Saturnian prince bowed and exited the audience chambers, debating in his mind just how this trip was going to go.

oOo

"Ah, you're here", Sailor Terra noted as Prince Kanma stepped through the doorway to the portal room. With a wave of her hand, the two Terran portal mages started up their incantations in the background even as she continued, "Have you been to Mount Phoenix before?"

"No, actually", the dark haired male responded, wary of just what mood the princess might be in. "What about yourself?"

Stepping up to the portal gate as it flashed online, Terra echoed, "This will be my first time as well", just before stepping through. Kanma just shook his head as he followed her, only a few steps behind.

The next instant, he was stepping out onto fallow ground in the middle of a small clearing. Taking a quick glance around, he noticed Terra standing nearby even as the portal behind him faded into nothingness. Before he could say anything, Terra's voice spoke out, "In case you were wondering, our treaty with the Phoenix Kingdom prohibits teleporting directly into Mount Phoenix. We'll have to walk the rest of the way there on foot."

"Ah", Kanma simply replied while he kept surveying the area around him. A moment later, he locked onto something in the distance and nodded while saying, "Well, at least we can see which direction we need to go in." Pointing towards one of the mountains in the vast range, he stated, "There is Mount Phoenix. Should be a half hours walk at most."

Raising an eyebrow, Terra asked, "I thought you said you've never been here before."

"I haven't", Kanma agreed with a slight grin, "but I've examined Mount Phoenix in maps and blueprints enough to identify it easily. I had to if I was to complete the contract for the staves I made for them."

"Staves", Terra questioned as she started walking towards the destination, Kanma in tow, "So you're a weaponsmith then?"

"Not quite... I prefer to think of myself a blacksmith who creates magical items", he responded with a wave of his hand. "I could make weapons, but I don't really... feel the process if that's all I make." Hopping over a small downed tree Kanma continued on easily, "I usually make accessories... you know, pendants, rings and the like. Then imbue them with some form of magic or another." There was a slight change of tone as he stated, "Of course, there is one weapon I'd like to get my hands on, purely to analyze it, but it's never going to happen."

"Oh? And what might that be", Terra asked as she strolled along, weaving through the few vines hanging from the trees.

"My sister's Silence Glaive."

Those words gave Terra pause, as she turned her gaze towards the armored figure trekking with her. A moment later she started up her pace once more, saying, "Oh yeah... Saturn would be your sister."

"Yes, she is", Kanma responded in a guarded tone, "Do you have a problem with that?"

The red haired Senshi frowned at the tone, "No, I don't. I haven't had any reason to, since she never comes to Princess Serenity's balls and since she's one of the Outer Guard, we've never trained together. Why, should I?"

"No, you shouldn't, but... nevermind. It's not important", the armored prince responded with a shake of his head. "Speaking of Princess Serenity's ball, I'm sorry you had to miss it because of this."

"Don't worry about it", she replied dismissively, "I don't really like going to the balls. It's usually just a lot of gossip and brown nosing."

"Really", Kanma asked in disbelief, "You sure seemed angry about it back at the palace."

"Oh, that", she said with distaste. Flipping her hand slightly, Terra explained, "I was angrier about the fact that Father made me do this more than anything. In all truth, I would like to go to the ball, if just to meet with Serenity and Lita."

"Lita", the male questioned, not being familiar with the name.

"Sailor Jupiter", the transformed Akane responded before letting silence over take them. The sound of wildlife permeated the area, flowing over the pair up until a few minutes later, when she started up with a question, "You do know why my father asked you to escort me, right?"

"Probably another 'get to know the girl' schemes", Kanma replied with a hint of bitterness. "No offense, but you're the sixth girl in almost two months that my mother has tried to set me up with."

"So you don't know...", Terra lowly muttered back.

Hearing that, the crown prince of Saturn quirked his brow in confusion, "What do you mean? This is a classic set up that my mother tries to pull."

"They aren't trying to 'set us up'", the fuku clad redhead dispassionately replied as they cleared the last of the treeline and saw the entrance to Mount Phoenix closing quickly.

"So why did I hear you yell when I was walking in", Kanma asked, intrigued at how he might have incorrectly interpreted the situation.

"I yelled because they had just told me that you were my Fiancé..."

Once those words hit the air, two different things happened to the pair; Kanma jerked to a dead halt, while Terra increased her pace to a quick jog, burning up the distance between her and the gates to their shared destination. It took a few moments before his brain kicked over, causing him to blink while muttering, "Fiancé?" Then, he saw the quickly retreating form of the girl he was supposed to be escorting, causing him to repeat the word again, only louder as he himself broke into a run to catch up, "Fiancé!?"

By the time he reached the young woman, she had already notified the guards at the entranceway of who they were and what business they had, starting the process of gaining access. Stopping next to her and taking a breath, he demanded, "What did you mean by that?"

Giving him an annoyed look, Terra answered back with a little ire, "Exactly what it sounded like. Your mother and my father set us up to be married. I'm not too happy about it, either."

"Nor am I", Kanma agreed quickly, before amending with, "Nothing against you, I'm just not looking to have a girl in my life right now."

"Don't worry about it", Terra replied back dismissively just as the gates opened up, giving admittance to the royal pair.

oOo

Soon after entering the phoenix stronghold, the two of them shied away from further conversation in favor of examining the construction while being led by one of the guards. Eventually, after transversing through many confusing passageways, they arrived at the Phoenix's royal audience hall. Kanma was growing tired of finding himself in said halls, as this was the third one he had entered this day, but all thoughts of such were washed away when he laid eyes on the ruler of the Phoenix kingdom.

There, in a royal throne of rare metals atop a raised dais, sat King Saffron; a amalgamation of human and avian qualities topped off with a liberal dosage of flame. With a regal air, akin to his father's and King Endymion, though different just the same, he addressed the two visiting humans, "Ah, an Atlantian Princess Senshi along with a Saturnian Prince Knight. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"King Saffron", Sailor Terra started to answer with a bow, "I bring greetings from my father, King Endymion. I was sent here this day to discuss the arms alliance due to the increased frequency of demon and youma incursions."

Narrowing his eyes slightly, looking as a hawk might to a mouse, he answered slowly, "Hmm... directly to the point... I am pleased by that." Nodding in approval the avian of fire stated, "We will discuss this today", before looking at the knight at her side a moment later. "And what of you", he inquired, "I belived our business concluded at delivery." Quirking a brow he finished with, "Surely you did not come here on Atlantian business..."

"No, King Saffron", Prince Kanma responded with his own bow, "I am here to see if you have had any problems with the Kinjakan or Gekkaja. As their creator, I have a stake in knowing they are operating properly."

"Hmm", the phoenix lord replied with a nod, "To my knowledge, we haven't had any issues with your creations. Indeed, they seem to be very finely made; hence why we contact you, as you have a certain... gift." Cocking his head slightly to the side in thought, "If you wish, you are welcome to inspect your work while the princess and I discuss the terms of this alliance."

Giving a deep bow, Kanma told the ruler of this realm, "I am honored by your words, King Saffron, and thank you for your offer. I believe I will take you up on it, by your leave." Seeing the easy nod from the Avian King, the male turned towards the doorway even as he heard the Atlantian Princess... his betrothed apparently, starting up the planned discussion.

'I'm going to give my mother half my mind when we return', he decided as he let out a sigh with a hand placed to his forehead. The guard who opened the door for Kanma and led him towards the twin staves professionally disregarded the ponderings of the visiting royal. Thankfully, it was only a short route until they reached the chamber that the magical staves were set out in.

Stepping up to the table with held the two completely oppositely aligned weapons, Kanma could only look proudly on his work. It had taken almost two weeks to craft just one staff and then another two to enchant it with its elemental properties. Add to that, that the enchanting required two additional mages, both of First Circle rank, to complete made these staves completely original to any of his other works and almost any other as well.

"And all this just to keep the mountain at a comfortable temperature...", Kanma muttered out as he gazed at the fire-red Kinjakan and ice-blue Gekkaja.

"A kingdom operates better when comfortable, does it not", a familiar voice commented behind the smith, causing the human to turn towards it.

Smiling at the sight, Kanma exclaimed, "Soy! It's good to see you! How have you been?"

Standing the same height as the human, Soy was still considered small by Phoenix standards. He made up for his physical deficiency, though, by focusing his proficiencies on the intellectual side. In fact, even lacking the ability to use magic himself, Soy was instrumental in developing the theories used in the Kinjakan and Gekkaja. Even so, he still stoically kept a humble keel, offering a small bow while replying, "I have been well, Prince Kanma. I do wonder what brings you here, though."

"Drop the titles, Soy. I don't feel right when you use them, being a fellow inventor", Kanma replied with a wry shake of his head. Following that, he gestured towards the staves on the table, "Really, I'm here to check on these two and make sure they aren't causing any problems."

With a knowing grin, Soy crossed his arms and stated, "I find that hard to be the only reason, but to answer your question, they have been working exactly as intended. In fact, our power gain readings are going exactly as the equations factored." Cocking his head slightly, while gesturing towards the human before him, Soy stated, "Now, why don't you tell me why you're really here, Kanma, and I know it isn't to see me either."

Rolling his eyes skyward with a sigh, Kanma replied, "Alright, fine. I'm just trying to get out from under my mother and her 'plans' for me." Kanma could only shake his head at his avian friend's antics. Ever since Soy found out about the situations Queen Launia kept putting her son into, he took it upon himself to inquire about the latest girl and outcome any time they talked over the communication grid.

Smiling widely, Soy tapped his temple with a finger, "So you escape your mother but show up with a Senshi in tow; at least that's the going rumor around the mountain." Rising his brow, he inquired, "So, which one is she, Kanma?"

Letting out a defeated sigh, the human prince replied, "Sailor Terra."

"Ah, the Atlantian Senshi", the avian muttered with a nod of his head, "I don't think she's ever been here before..."

"She hasn't", Kanma agreed, "Her brother has though."

"Ah, that's right, Prince Endymion, correct", Soy solicited, to receive a nod in reply. "So... I hear that all the Senshi are beautiful, at least by human standards. Is that true?"

"Soy... don't try to disguise your inquisition, you've never been good at it", the armor clad human responded with another roll of his eyes.

"All right, all right", the grey clothed avian gave back, raising his hands in a defensive gesture. His position didn't last that long, as he went back to his knowing grin while saying, "But you're not getting out of answering the question."

With a shake of his head, Kanma answered, "Fine, Soy. Yes, she's beautiful and before you even ask; yes, she's the latest scheme my mother has cooked up. It might just be the last, too."

"Oh, how so", the avian asked with a quirked brow and baited breath.

"It seems, though Mother decided not to tell me yet, that we have been betrothed to one another by our parents", Kanma replied in a defeated tone.

Placing his talon-tipped hand on the young prince's shoulder, Soy stated, "You say that like it's the end of the world."

"It's not, I know", Kanma agreed, "I'm probably being childish about it all, but she's been trying to match me up with some noble girl or another for years. I've told you enough about it, Soy."

"That you have", the avian granted with a nod. "But just think of it this way, she can do so no longer."

"That's one way to look at it, my friend", Kanma replied with a chuckle. "Oh well, I guess I'll figure it out soon enough", he admitted with a wry shake of his head. "Anyways, while I'm here, let's go test out the current power level of the staves", he stated, picking up the Gekkaja off the table.

"That sounds good to me", Soy said back with a nod, picking up the opposing staff from the table and heading towards the exit to the room. "We have a special room built just for this purpose", he informed the visiting prince, urging him to follow with a wave of his hand.

oOo

An indeterminate amount of time passed, the two intellectually bent males concentrating more on their discussion on power gain theory than the flow of the sand. It wasn't until the magical alarm on the door chimed out that the pair looked up from the latest readings they had just gained.

Looking towards the disturbance, Soy locked himself straight only to bow hastily, "Lord Saffron! How may I serve?"

"Be at ease, Loyal Soy", the great bird king replied back patting the air with a hand. "I am merely here to inform the visiting Prince Kanma that the alliance discussions are completed and to inquire about his findings on the staves as their creator."

"From what I can see, King Saffron, the staves are performing just as expected", said prince related, gesturing towards the blue staff in his hand, "Used properly; they should continue gaining strength until peaking out sometime in the far future." Giving his head a quick shake, he lamented, "Though I would like to examine them at such a time, I will be long dead by then."

"Such is the way of mortal life", Saffron sagely stated, reminding the visiting human of his immortal like status in the same words.

"Hmm... that's true", Kanma responded while holding the staff out towards Soy, who held its companion. "On that note, though, I believe I should head out, then. I don't think Akana would be very pleased if I made her wait for me."

"Oh, Akana is it", Soy inquired with a grin in his voice as he joked said, "You're moving quickly there calling Sailor Terra by her real name, Prince Kanma."

"Get off it, Soy", the visiting human came back with a roll of his eyes. "Though it might not have been my choice, at least I am engaged to wed. Last I heard, you were still looking around, yourself, fearing that you would never find a mate."

Hearing that, Soy's grin burst wide, nearly splitting his face as he pointed to a small chain around his neck, "Ah, but that is no longer the case! I have been bonded with my mate since just after our last conversation when the staves were delivered."

Blinking as he looked from the small chain of precious metals to the one wearing it, Kanma burst out, "Why didn't you tell me, Soy!? Congratulations, my friend!" He impacted his statement by patting the avian on the shoulder, just as an amused chuckle caused both to look in the originating direction.

"Lord Saffron! My apologies", Soy cried out, ashamed for his antics before his liege.

"Think nothing of it", Saffron deferred with a talon tipped hand and a smile, "Your byplay amuses me, though I do agree that the prince shouldn't keep the princess waiting too much longer." Nodding at his own words, he added in, "But, let me thank you one last time for your assistance, Prince Kanma. If you ever are in need of a favor, feel free to ask. The Phoenix will assist in any way possible... you have my word on that."

Waving off the required, even if heartfelt, words of honor that were on the younger royal's lips, the avian king continued on, "But enough of this. I do believe you have a more pressing encounter to attend to."

With that said, farewells were shared between the human and two avian, before the Saturnian prince exited the chamber to quickly make his way towards the entrance of the mountain colony where Sailor Terra awaited.

oOo

Stepping out into the direct sunlight once more, Kanma winced and put a hand up to shield himself from the afternoon sun. Once his eyes adjusted themselves, gave a quick look around before finding his target sitting on a weathered stone nearby in the sunlight.

Walking over towards the Senshi, Kanma gave out a casual, "Hey... I hope you haven't waited long."

Looking over her shoulder at the approaching male, Terra shrugged, "I've been waiting for a little while... but since I like sitting in the sun; I'll let it slide, this time."

Kanma just let out an amused snort, while she stood up and brushed off the back of her blue and yellow skirt. Seeing the motion, his eyes were directed to that spot. 'That thing doesn't cover much, does it', he mused as he watched.

He was started out of his thoughts a moment later, when an annoyed Terra asked, "Are you going to stare at my rear all day or are we going to get moving?"

Flushing in embarrassment, and needing to shake his head to clear the mental image, the elder teen apologized quickly, "Er... Sorry about that..." Gathering his composure, he nodded a second later, "Yes, I'm ready to go."

"Good", Terra responded with her own nod before pointing off into the distance, "Han Shu is in that direction, around two hours travel if the guard was right. He said that's the closest place with a portal mage." Nodding once more, she commented, "If we hurry, we can be home before the evening meal."

"Sounds good to me", the dark haired teen replied as he started to walk alongside the redhead towards the tree line. The pair walked in silence for a good while before it became unbearable to the First Knight of Saturn. Giving out a slight cough, he asked, "So... I assume the meeting with King Saffron went well?"

Running a hand across the smooth bark of a tree as she passed it, the redhead said, "It worked out. He agreed to ally with my father if the need arose, but he didn't believe it would ever get to that point."

"Ah...", was the simple reaction before another bout of silence, which was once more broken by the prince's words, "So, how do you like being one of the Senshi?"

Shrugging her shoulders at the question, she responded, "It's alright I guess."

Taking a moment to torque his brow after Terra stayed silent for a few seconds, Kanma continued the conversation by asking, "That's it? I thought every girl dreamed about being one of the Senshi."

"Every girl", Terra questioned back, "So you're sister dreamed about becoming Saturn?"

"That's a little uncalled for", the prince retorted with a downward twitch of his lips.

"Maybe", the redhead admitted with a quirk of her head. "The point still stands." Shaking her head, causing her unbound hair to sway in the lances of light through the treetops, Terra confided, "I'm not 'every girl', so don't just lump me into that pile. I knew I had a high probability of becoming Terra since I was fourteen."

"Hmm... that's about the time I last visited this planet", Kanma mused out loud, ducking under a low hanging branch.

"That's right, it was not long after that", the Atlantian princess agreed before smirking over towards the man traveling with her, "and don't think I've forgotten what happened..."

Groaning, Kanma shook his head regretfully, "I was hoping you did." A moment following that admission, Kanma tried to change the subject away from that embarrassing incident, "Ah... you never really answered my question... The one about how you feel about being a Senshi."

Still keeping her smirk for a few moments of silence, Terra decided to let it drop, "It was a change in my life; though not too big of one, really. Basically, there was more training and responsibility, along with the powers I gained with the transformation." Looking over towards the traveling male, she added, "No offense, but I'm thankful there wasn't a huge change that I heard your sister experienced. That had to be tough for her."

"Yes, it was", Saturn's elder brother agreed, "Void, it still is, though she tries not to show it." Letting out a sigh, he pushed another small branch out of his way and held it as Terra passed by, "It seems like I'm one of the few who still treat her like a real person..."

"Instead of the 'Bringer of Silence", Terra finished for him. Looking back with an appraising gaze, she noted, "You and she must be pretty close as brother and sister."

Nodding, Kanma stated, "Yeah, I'm closer to her than I am with our other sisters; always have been." Glancing over to the Terran royal, he added, "Sort of like you and Endymion, if things are still the same as the last time I was here."

Rocking her head side to side slightly, she drawled out, "...Sort of. It's different though, in the fact that Endymion and I are linked psychically, like our father and aunt are."

"Ah, okay", Kanma responded with a tap of fingers to his forehead, "Now I remember Endymion saying something about that last time. He said it was something like two-way empathetic magic."

"That's a good analogy for it, though it's only part of the entire link", she explained, "Right now, I can tell that he's on the moon, but at this range we can't share any real feelings or thoughts with one another." Holding out a hand before her, seeing something that Kanma couldn't, she continued with, "Then, there are the psi-techs we've created between the two of us. We were able to get ideas from our father and aunt, but some just didn't work properly."

"So they aren't like spells then", the armored figure asked, elaborating when he received a mute look of question in return, "I mean, they can't be taught like spells can. If someone has the ability, they can cast the same spell someone else can after being taught the theory behind it."

"That's right", Terra affirmed, "They can't be taught, even to other people who have psionic powers. Even with linked psionics, such as Endymion and myself, have to develop our own techniques separately. Something that will work for me won't work the same way for my brother."

"That's one staggering limitation", Kanma noted as he altered his course around a gnarled mess of bushes.

"Unfortunately, it's not the only one, either", Terra lamented. "As linked psionics, the strength of our powers are dependent on how close we are to one another. Of course, it will never dwindle to nothing, but the effect is noticeable." Waving a hand towards the trees around them, she explained, "For example, if my brother was with us, we would be flying towards Han Shu instead of going by foot." Gesturing towards the prince wandering with her, she stated in a slightly sarcastic tone, "But of enough of me. What about you, dear Prince? Care to tell your fiancée about yourself?"

Frowning at the tone the young woman used, the mage replied, "As you wish. You already know about my being a blacksmith, but I am a Warmage of the Third Circle as well. Being a Warmage, I am adept at physical combat, as well as magical, but specialize in enhancing my physical strikes with a magical boost. My focus is also my weapon, if you haven't guessed by now." He finished his statement by thumbing towards the war-hammer strapped to his back.

"Third Circle, huh", the Senshi parroted, "since there are five Circles, I guess that means you're pretty average, right?"

Hearing that, Kanma couldn't help but bristle and respond a little tightly, "Not quite. Most ranked mages fall between the Fourth and Fifth Circles. A vast majority of magically capable people don't even rank in the system, their powers being so minute." Trying to save some face before the girl, he squared his shoulders some more, "I could gain Second Circle status, but I just don't feel inclined to do so. Even at Third Circle, I rank higher than seventy percent of the other ranked mages."

"Ah...", the female gave as her only indication of being corrected, "So if you're powerful enough to be a Second Circle mage, that means you should be able to fly us to Han Shu, right?"

Grimacing, he knew his reply wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear, "I would, if I was at full power right now. Unfortunately, I'm still drained from my experimentations with... the... sta..." Kanma's voice trailed off into stunned silence as he turned his gaze over to where his traveling partner should have been and wasn't. Looking behind him, his forward movement also stalled out when he noticed Terra standing stalk still with a golden aura replacing her eyes. When she finally resumed animation, blinking away the aura, he asked with concern lacing his voice, "You okay?"

Placing a hand to her head, Terra gave it a quick shake, responding unsteadily, "I... I don't know. I just felt my brother... Something about the Guardians, but too weak to make out."

"The Guardians", Kanma repeated in thought, "Aren't they his and your bodyguards?"

"Pretty much, but I haven't seen them in the past week", Terra stated with a nod as she moved the hand from her head to her chin. Looking at the visiting prince in the eyes, she stated, "I think we need to hurry."

"Right, let's get going then!"

"Leaving so soon, Princess", a third voice boomed around them, causing the pair to spin towards it.

Reacting first to the sight before them; Terra cried out, "Kunzite! What are you doing here?"

'Kunzite? Kunzite', Kanma quickly repeated in his head, trying to place the name before it flashed in his mind. Looking upon the white haired man in grey uniform that stood atop a rocky outcropping, Kanma made the connection, 'Wait a second, he's of the Guardians!'

Receiving nothing but a strange smirk for an answer, the Terran princess repeated her question with more force, "What are you doing here?! You and the rest of the Guardians were supposed to be attending the ball with my brother!"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it too much, Princess", a fourth voice spoke out, soon revealing the owner to be a man sporting a long, blonde ponytail. Seeing the second Guardian silently step out from behind some trees they had just passed, the Saturnian Knight took a slight step closer to Sailor Terra as his instincts started to scream at him. Something felt off about the entire situation and he didn't like it one bit.

Terra seemed to be more confused than anything, looking from the snowy haired man to the blond, "Zoisite? You're here too?"

"Of course we are here, Princess Akana", yet another male voice answered, revealing himself to be a third Guardian. The positioning of the three caused Kanma to reach back slowly towards his weapon while warily watching the newcomers. His worries kicked another notch when the third Guardian finished with, "Because we've been looking for you, Princess."

"Looking for me? Why", Terra warily asked, finally seeming to take note of the odd overtones her friends were using.

Yet another person appeared when he answered, "We are here to deliver a special message to you."

Silently, Kanma was thankful of exactly where the forth man had appeared, as there was just enough gap created for an escape route if his guesses were correct. Mentally releasing the magical catch which held his war-hammer on his back, Kanma prepared for what his instincts told him would be a very messy fight to come. He felt Terra brush up next to him an instant later as she nervously asked, "What are you talking about, Jadeite? What message?"

Grinning eerily, bright white teeth shining in the afternoon light, he replied ominously, "The Queen mourns your death."

"Queen!? Dead", Terra cried out, "What the hell are you talking about!?"

"Let me elaborate, Princess", Nephrite calmly stated with a slight bow, "What dear Jadeite means is that Queen Beryl wants you dead. She considers you a threat to her plans."

Laughing nervously, Terra's voice matched her mood, "This is a joke… A really bad joke, right?"

"I'm afraid it is no joke, Sailor Terra", Kunzite answered for the Guardians, an easy smile on his face. "Queen Beryl truly wants you out of the way."

Frowning at the entire scene, Terra exclaimed, "Beryl wants us all dead! She's had it out for us since the youma raids started!" Shaking her head in slight disbelief, she commented, "She raves so much that even my brother has stopped listening to her. I truly doubt that she sent you four of all people."

"Oh, but she did… and you know how we are when we receive orders...", Zoisite responded with a smirk, just before flashed his eyes wide maniacally and shot his arm forward, throwing a lance of energy toward the Senshi princess.

The energy lance caught Terra completely off guard, knocking the girl off her feet with a pained and startled cry. Just as Zoisite was about to take advantage of his initiative, indinding on quickly finishing the surprised girl off, Kanma swung his weapon around in a wide arc, catching the Guardian completely unprepared in the chest. Taking simple physics into account, the impact flung the grey clad victim rebounding into a tree before falling to the ground.

Taking advantage of the slight shift in the situation, Kanma shifted his momentum into a forward run even as he reached down to grab the quickly recovering Terra. Even as the two started sprinting out of the small clearing they were caught in, using the only avenue of escape open to them, they heard Kunzite's mocking voice call out to them, "You can't escape from us. You'll only die tired!"

The Saturnian Knight ignored the words yelled at him, choosing instead to weave through the trees even as the Senshi with him completely regained her senses. When she finally started running at full speed herself, she waveringly asked, "What the hell just happened?!"

"That bastard just shot you, that's what happened", Kanma testily replied just before he threw a hand out with a cry of, "Flash Wave!" Before them, the underbrush blew apart, leaving a clear path for the two of them to run through. When Terra started down that direction, she let out a surprised squawk when Kanma grabbed her arm and yanked her in another direction entirely.

"Why'd you blow the path open to just run away from it", she angrily demanded, a step behind the fleeing prince.

Ducking under a tree branch, he hissed back, "Diversion! They might think we ran that way, buying us some time."

Silently, Terra's estimation of the knight went up a notch as she wondered out loud, "Why are they doing this? It makes no sense!"

"I don't know, but I'm not going to stick around to ask them", Kanma sarcastically stated, "I really don't think they'd sit down to talk it over… you know, with the trying to kill you and all."

Terra was just about to retort when her senses started going haywire with alarm. Grabbing Kanma's arm, she jerked him off-balanced into some bushes. When they landed, she threw a hand over his mouth before clamping her eyes closed in concentration. To Kanma's eyes, the world seemed to waver, as if it had become as a mirage, just before one of the four Guardians ported just where the two of them would have been moments later had she not acted.

From inside the bushes, Kanma could easily hear Zoisite's voice tauntingly call, "Come out, come out, wherever you are! I know you are nearby, Princess. Make it easy on all of us and just give up."

Seeing the soft glow of gold filtering through Terra's closed eyes, Kanma realized she was using her psiconic powers somehow. When he heard her whimper, "Can't… hold…", he decided to take advantage of a possible surprise attack. Quickly flashing his hands silently through one of the more complicated attack spells, he threw his arms out towards the Guardian while crying, "Nitro Bomb!"

Zoisite never knew what hit him as the ground beneath his feet exploded upward, throwing him into the air to fall a dozen meters away.

Knowing their cover had just been blown, Kanma and Terra bolted from the bush to continue their hasty retreat. "These guys are First Circle", Kanma cried out in frustration.

"I don't know", Terra yelled in response, "I guess. All I know is that Endymion and I trusted them with our lives! Why would they be trying to kill me!?"

"I have no idea", Kanma replied through gasps of air, continuing his sprint, "but we can't slow down now!" As soon as he said those words, they broke through the tree line once more to find themselves entering a large clearing. Feeling a wave of magic wash over him, Kanma dug in his heals to come to a stop, jerking his head around wildly.

"What are you doing?! You just said not to stop", Terra franticly demanded; looking around as well, though for an entirely different reason.

"There's magic nearby, chaos magic!"

"So", the female irritably replied in frustration.

"We're too close! We need to get away from here", he cried as he shifted directions and started to run.

Just as he placed his first foot down, Nephrite and Kunzite ported in ahead of him, yelling, "No more running, boy!"

Grabbing hold of the cape Kanma wore; Terra yanked his inertia back to the direction they were initially headed, "This way!"

"No! Not that way", the male yelled back. A moment later, he was thanking his lucky stars for the girl pulling on his cape as a blade of energy flashed by where his neck would have been. Quickly regaining his full balance, the warmage swung his hammer overhead, smashing it into the ground between the two guardians and himself while yelling out, "Thunder Step!"

The resulting localized earthquake wasn't enough to damage the two Guardians but it did throw them to the dirt, buying the fleeing royals yet more precious time. Terra took the most of it, sprinting off with Kanma in tow. Behind her, she heard him yell, "I can't keep doing this! I'm was low on mana at the start!"

She was just about to tell him to quit whining when the ground beneath her ran out, the redhead skidding to a halt at the edge of a wide cliff. Hearing the dark haired prince do the same behind her, she stared out at the sight before her while asking in amazement, "What is this place?"

Instead of answering, Kanma broke out in a quick cursing fit, "Shit! Shit! Shit! We need to get back to Mount Phoenix! Saffron will help us!" Seeing the uncountable number of springs below them, appearing as far as the eye can see, the male immediately figured out where they were. The warnings and stories Soy had told him during the creation of the staves rang through his head loud and clear, 'If you find yourself near Jusenkyo, run as fast as you can!'

Glancing back behind them at the quickly rising grey clad men, Terra yelled, "There's no time! Come on!" Grabbing his arm, she pulled him over the ledge with her, forcing him to bound off the jutting rocks down the cliff side or fall to an unpleasant end. "You're insane", he yelled forward to her as he kept pace.

"Shut up and keep running", the Atlantian princess commanded back to her fiancé, slightly out of breath after the long run.

Their efforts seemed to be for naught, fore as soon as they touched down at the bottom, all four guardians shifted in from another local teleport. Cursing under his breath, Kanma whipped himself around to stand back to back with the girl his mother had just betrothed him to earlier that day. "Great, surrounded", he muttered as he held his hammer defensively; mentally flying through his spell list and how many he could cast before running dry.

Unlike before, however, the four Guardians had a distinct lack of any mirth or pleasure on their faces. In fact, each one of them sported some form of scowl or frown as they looked upon the two defensive royal teens. Growling out, Kunzite declared, "This has taken far too long. We end this now!"

"Why are you doing this", Terra fearfully cried out, "What about your oath to your king!? To my brother and me!?"

Her plea went unheard as the four aggressors took it as a note to attack, forcing the two royals to separate and maintain mobility. Flying into a dodging roll that had her grow ever closer to one of the springs, Terra sprang to her feet in time to block a lightning fast thrust with a glowing blade of psionic energy. Pushing off from the stronger fighter, she slid back enough to see Zoisite with enough time to raise a hasty shield. The shards of crystalline spike slammed against the golden glowing bubble, failing to penetrate but still draining the girl of precious strength.

Not far away, Kanma fared little better as he fended off the well coordinated attacks of the remaining two Guardians. Kunzite and Jadeite pressed their conjoined offensive, taking jabs and quick strikes which forced the Saturnian Knight to continually move or be impaled on the energy blades. Eventually, though, they stalled their thrusts for a moment to fire off synchronized blasts of magic towards Kanma. Flashing his eyes wide, Kanma summoned a desperate amount of mana and channeled it into his weapon before slamming the base of the shaft into the dirt, "Mirror Shield!"

Recognizing the spell, Kunzite was able to dodge the rebounding blast but Jadeite was caught fully flatfooted, taking his own attack to the chest to fall to the dirt. Incited by the princes' reaction, Kunzite rushed forward with an energy blade in each hand. Trying to outmaneuver the warmage with a flurry of strikes, Kanma surprised him by desperately and successfully defending himself up until the point Kunzite overextended on a slash. Taking advantage of the slip, Kanma slashed the handle of his hammer into the side of the Guardian's head, rocking him backwards a few steps.

Giving himself a quick pat on the back, Kanma was completely unprepared for what followed, when Kunzite's eyes flashed darkly and a wave of force bowled over the Knight Prince. Landing painfully on his arm, he rolled to his feet just in time to hear Terra plead once more to her one time protectors, "Nephrite! Zoisite! Please, don't do this! Endy…"

Kanma could only stand there in shock before yelling out in horror, watching Zoisite's glowing blade slip through her sluggish defense and slide into her ribs. "NO", he cried out in desperate agony, rushing to assist the redhead, even as she looked dumbly at the weapon impaling her.

The armored knight went no more than two steps when an energy blast blindsided him from the rear, forcing him once more to the dirt. This time, he could smell the stench of burnt cloth and feel the scorched flesh on his back. It mattered little as he lifted his gaze up, impotent to any action other than to watch as the girl he was to marry coughed up a wad of blood. Scowling at the blood on his arm, Zoisite reached up with a leg to unceremoniously kick the Senshi off his blade and into the pool behind her.

Somewhere in the background, he heard Jadeite state, "That was for the hammer…" A moment later, the foot driving into his gut, painfully flipping him over, drove home the other half of his words, "and this is for hitting me with my own blast!" The next instant, Kanma was sandwiched with pain, a fresh searing washing over his chest to match his back as Jadeite shot another blast into the incapacitated prince.

"It's over, Jadeite", one of the other three stated, Kanma not caring which one through the pain, "He's as good as dead now, so stop playing with him."

"We are late. Queen Beryl is waiting for us as it is", another informed.

The last of the group let out malicious laughter while saying, "This is going to be a riot!" A moment later, four flashes of light could be seen out of the corner of Kanma's blurred vision as they ported out to locations unknown. This was the last thing he witnessed before darkness embraced him into unconsciousness.

oOo

The next thing Kanma could consciously remember was pain… so much pain.

Letting out a groan, he managed to roll himself over to his stomach, eliciting a sharp cry. Panting with the effort, he looked skyward to note the sun hanging there, 'How long was I out?' Shaking the encroaching dizziness from his mind, the injured male gritted his teeth as he pushed himself up to his knees.

Taking a deep breath and wincing at the pain his ribs gave him in protest, Kanma raised his gaze to the still pool of water before him. A snarl of rage escaped him as he looked out at the blood red waters and knowledge that Terra lay within. 'Damn, damn, damn", he cursed violently in his mind, 'I couldn't save her! Damn it!'

Unbidden, the last few moments replayed themselves in his mind; the knife entering her chest, the surprised look on her face, the pain that came twice to his own body and the final indignity of her own protector kicking the dying girl into the pool to drown most likely. 'By the rings, she deserves better…'

After thinking that, the final words of the turned Guardians rang in his ears once more. 'Shit! They are going to attack the Moon! I have to warn them', he realized with a widening of his eyes. 'Damnit… I promised I would never use this unless it was a life or death situation… Well, I'm a dead man anyways.' he confessed even as he started gathering the last bit of mana he could muster.

Whispering three words, casting a spell he thought he'd never cast, Kanma felt a wave of renewed strength roll over his body, "Valor's Last Stand!"

Feeling the strength, Kanma rose to stand on his own two feet once more; pitying himself for the fifteen year loss to his life he incurred every minute he sustained the spell. He had little choice, though, being stuck between dying due to his injuries and dying due to the drain on his life due to the suicide spell. At least the spell gave him the power required to hopefully warn the Moon Palace of the imminent attack.

Before porting, however, he gave the dead Terra one last moment of dignity as he wandered into the crimson colored liquid. Dipping down and reaching in with his arms, Kanma finished out the limp redhead, the Senshi uniform gone to reveal the stunning civilian clothes the transformation had covered. "If only we could have had more time together…", he lamented softly, "Even in this short time, I think you've stolen my heart, Akana."

With a sorrowful sigh, he set her on solid ground as if peacefully resting. A morbid thought ran through his mind as he took the moment to look at the fallen princess. "I'll be seeing you, Akana, one way or another", he told her body before he took a few steps back to charge up for one last spell.

Having learned the incantation for the portal ritual during his studies, just in the off chance he rose to Second Circle status, he started casting out the important spell words. Even with the suicide enchantment giving his body strength and endurance far beyond what he would normally be able to endure, the portal spell was still two full Circles higher than he should cast and the drain dropped the prince to his knees once more.

Gritting his teeth in concentration, Prince Kanma of Saturn powered through the pain and weakness to stagger through the portal. Only one step through it, he fell to his knees one last time in his life.

As far as the eye could see, death and destruction ruled. The palace in the distance was in flames, figures of evil intent massacring the living and butchering the dead while oily black clouds filled the darkening skies. With tears flowing down his cheeks unabated at the sight before him, Kanma could only whisper, "I'm too late…"

Somewhere in the background of his mind Kanma felt the last threads of his sacrifice spell unweaving from his body, its function complete at the cost most would balk at. As the strength quickly abandoned him, the Saturnian prince closed his eyes as he awaited the sweet oblivion, never seeing the silvery wave of power which rolled over him and through the still open portal behind him to wash over the body which had once been Terra, along with the pool she had drowned in.

Prince Kanma's life fled his mortal coil long before his body impacted the magically created grasslands of the lunar landscape…

oOo

Jerking upright, Akane awoke with a start, heaving breaths permeating the darkened room. Twitching her head left and right, she took in her surroundings; half expecting to see someone leaping at her with glowing blade in hand. After a moment's search, she found Ranma as her only companion in the twilight lit room and he was sleeping soundly on the futon next to her.

Closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths, Akane tried to reassure herself, 'It was only a dream, get a grip, girl.'

As the moments passed however, instead of going away as most dreams would; her past visions seemed to cement themselves in her mind. To her confusion, she found she could easily remember the fine details of the 'dream'; something she knew wasn't usually possible once someone woke up.

Scrunching up her brow, she muttered a question to herself, 'What if it wasn't a dream? It felt so real…' Opening her eyes to the darkness once more, she shook her head, dismissing the thought, 'No, that can't be right… I was a guy in it; it has to be a dream!' Looking towards her sleeping husband, she revised that stance slightly… she really didn't know what to think anymore.

It was many minutes later that she finally decided not to wake her husband, not wanting to hear his grumblings if she was worrying over nothing but a dream. It had to be just that too, considering all the parts added together; Ranma's cursed form, Saffron, Jusenkyo… they were just her subconscious playing tricks on her.

As she lay back down, breathing a tension relieving sigh, Akane snuggled back down to finish sleeping the night through. It was only a minute later that the realization hit her; she felt just a bit of phantom pain in her chest and back. The exact places Jadeite struck her… him… with the energy blasts. Then she had fainted…

Only to reawaken… while still in the dream!

Feeling her nerves start to tingle, Akane forced herself to take a deep breath. 'Come on, Akane... nothing to get worked up about', she repeated in her mind, 'It's just a really... realistic dream.' It took a few more seconds of steady breathing and reiterating that it was just a dream before the dark haired woman closed her eyes once more, wrapping her blanked around her protectively. In short order, sleep once again filled the night air...

End of Chapter 9


	10. Chapter 10

**Fated Pasts, Chaotic Future**

A Ranma ½ and Sailor Senshi crossover Fanfic

Written by: Konsaki

This Fanfic was inspired by and uses source material from 'Lines of Destiny', a dead Fanfic created by Louis-Philippe Giroux.

oOo

Ranma let out a contented sigh as he lay back against the rough trunk bark of the large shade tree. Above, rays of light broke through the leaves, creating dancing beams of gold which flashed and wavered with the slight breeze's direction. Off in the distance, lazy clouds drifted across the vast skyline of a sprawling city; his hilltop vantage offering a panoramic view as the metropolis wrapped around in a large circle until finally disappearing into the growing woods behind him. Leaning back with his hands behind his head, the black haired young man couldn't help but smile contently, resolving to just stay like that for a while longer.

"Yeah…" a relaxed female voice lightly spoke up, the smile easy to hear in the air, "We always loved our 'secret spot'; though, it wasn't like Endy didn't know about it either… He could always find us when he wanted to…"

The relaxing martial artist nodded absently, vague memories of having his private time on the hill interrupted on occasion floating through the edge of his mind. An instant later, Ranma blinked in confusion, 'Wait a sec… I don't have any 'secret spot' on a hill…'

The mood broken with that thought, Ranma turned towards the voice, wondering who it belonged to but already having a tightening of his gut due to already 'knowing' who it belonged to. It was due to that that Ranma wasn't completely surprised when he finally saw the girl sitting on a large exposed tree root nearby, easily under the vast shady canopy of leaves.

The long fiery scarlet hair was easily her most striking feature, the sunbeams playing along her tresses as the breeze played with the lengthy unbound strands. She knew it too, with her rich blue formfitting bodysuit and shorts amplifying the striking red color, while also bringing forward her lighter sky blue stylish boots and open finger gloves. Then there was the cloak which ran down her back under her scarlet tresses which bore an even darker shade than the bodysuit, bordering on black in the shade.

Looking on at the softly smiling girl who seemed content to just watch the day go on in the distance, Ranma found the name came easily to his lips even before he knew he said it, "Akana…" A moment later, his brow furrowed as he asked himself, 'How'd I know that?'

"Why wouldn't you know who you are", she asked with a toying lilt before her smile faded along with any amusement in her voice to become somber, "well… 'Were' would be a better word, I guess."

Silence passed over the area as Ranma eyed the girl like a hawk before saying, "You're reading my thoughts."

"Sort of", Akana admitted, the smile returning to her lips, "Though the question was pretty much written on your face anyways."

Hearing her say that caused something clicked in Ranma's mind, "Wait a second… you're the voice that was in my head!"

"You're two for two", the redhead playfully sang out, kicking her feet slightly as they failed to reach the ground from the height of the exposed root.

Running a hand down his face at the confirmation, Ranma muttered out, "Okay… I've got to be dreaming."

"You're only half right", a voice holding mock disappointment spoke out. Seeing the raven haired male's askance look of confusion, Akana expounded on her statement while waving a hand out about them, "This… it's all just a dreamscape." Failing to receive any notice of understanding, Akana slammed a fist into a palm, "Oh, yeah… you never learned about dreamscapes." Moving her hand to tap a finger against her chin, she thought for a second before saying, "It's sort of like a meditative trance."

Using that information, Ranma hazarded a guess, "So we're in my mind right now?" Seeing the girl's nod and smile, Ranma stood up and crossed his arms across his chest, "Alright, I get that but what I want to know now is; what are you doing here and why do you look like my curse?"

"Well, there's a funny story about that, really", Akana started out in a way that Ranma easily understood that the story was not going to be funny at all, "but it answers both questions." Biting her lip lightly, she asked, "Are you ready?"

Raising a brow at the question, Ranma eyed the girl who now had an air of uncertainty. Still wanting to know why the hell she was in his head, though knowing it had to do with whatever his cousin and the others did to him, he confidently stated, "Sure, hit me with it."

Little did he know how apt those words fit the situation; as a moment later his world exploded with excruciating pain. Thankfully, just as quick as it came the pain vanished, leaving him kneeling on the soft grass, one hand propping his upper body up while the other gripped the side of his head. Deep breaths roared in his ears, his lungs heaving air around like he had just sprinted across the ward. Soon enough, the sound receded enough along with the sparks behind his eyes for him to notice Akana just a little away in the same state.

Somehow, looking at the girl slowly regaining her breath, Ranma knew. He knew the answers. He…

Jerking upright, the raven haired male threw his hands to his gut to stem the flow of blood. After a second, he looked down to find his hands clean and his shirt whole. Pulling it up, he examined his flesh and found it unsundered as well, adorned with only the well earned scars from his training and battles.

"You're fine", Akana warily stated, sitting back against the root she saw upon earlier, still breathing larger than normal breaths and wiping sweat from her brow.

Looking from his unharmed stomach to the girl and back, Ranma stuttered out, "but… the sword! Zoisite!"

"Yes… Zoisite", Akana repeated mournfully, placing a hand at the same spot where the named man had stabbed her with his energy blade. Letting out a long expressive sigh, she explained, "They're memories… our memories."

"Memories", Ranma echoed in confusion, "but… I was there! I felt it! The blade, the pain! Falling back into…" His voice trailed off as a realization dawned on him, "Jusenkyo…" He jerked his eyes back to the redhead, locking her gaze, "You're the girl who died in that damned spring…"

"Yeah…" the girl solemnly agreed before shaking her head, her loose tresses flowing over her shoulders with the effort. Determined to change the mood, she stressed out a slight smile while quipping, "Well, how do you like the answer to your questions?"

Ranma just blinked, lost for a second before remembering, "It explains why my curse looks like you, but I still don't know why you're here in my head…"

Thinking about it a second, Akana admitted, "No… I guess it didn't…" Mulling over the many ways to explain, she finally said, "I guess you could consider me a flood gate for our memories. I keep you from going insane."

"Keep me from going insane", the martial artist questioned as he finally regained his feet and crossed his arms once more, "You mean like hearing voices in your head and remembering things you've never done?" Rolling his eyes, Ranma threw his hands up into the air, "Maybe I should just go and ask the Kuno's to adopt me!"

Frowning, Akana crossed her own arms under her breasts, "Hey! We are not like the Kuno's! Tatewaki was delusional and Kodachi was… delusional as well, but they're a lot better now! Besides, you're not insane. I'm keeping you from that."

"Oh, okay", Ranma started out, the sarcasm thick in his voice, "You're not here 'because I'm crazy, you're just trying to take over my mind." Just after saying this, he watched the girl stare at him like he had just told her the sky was purple and the grass orange. This lasted only a bit before she started to snicker, which quickly grew into laughter. Quickly tiring of her laughing at his expense and not knowing why, he yelled out, "What?!"

Gaining some control of herself, Akana wiped her teary eyes and choked out, "You… you think I'm trying to take over!"

"Yeah… why's that funny?"

"Because I am you, you idiot", Akana answered with a smug grin, getting control of her mirth. Seeing his continued confusion, she straightened up and asked, "What? You need me to spell it out?"

Growling at her tone, Ranma defensively bit back, "Might as well, if just to keep you from wasting my time!"

Frowning at that, Akana nodded and started walking slowly in a wide circle around the male, "Alright then. Plain and simple, I'm who you used to be in our past life. Those memories were mine from when we were Akana."

"So I'm supposed to be you're reincarnation or something", Ranma ventured, the idea not being entirely alien due to the Shinto teachings of his upbringing.

"Exactly", Akana replied, stopping and pointing a finger at him, "You're our reincarnation, but here's where things get weird."

"Oh? Weird how", Ranma questioned, quirking his brow, "Like finding out you were a girl in a past life and having someone shove those memories into your skull?"

"Yeah, pretty much", Akana agreed, "I never expected to get reincarnated, but I defiantly never expected to be a guy in the next life. Kind of jarring, you know; sword to the gut, die a painful drowning death and the next thing I know I'm a guy who turns back into a girl with cold water."

Wincing at her condescending tone, Ranma conceded, "Point taken." A moment later he blinked, "Wait, what do you mean 'turn back into a girl'?"

"Huh? Oh. I meant exactly that, you turned back into a girl."

"Bullshit."

"Oh really", Akana asked rhetorically, "Then I guess it's just coincidence that all the other girls reincarnated as girls and Endymion is still a guy."

"What do they have to do with this", Ranma questioned with a quirked brow, wondering where she was going with this.

Shaking her head slightly, Akana resumed her slow pace under the shade tree, "Having all of them here explains a lot, actually." Seeing a 'get on with it' motion from the lone male, she continued on, "Think about it; all the Senshi are reincarnated along with Endymion at one time, we died when our personal guard turned on us at once and there was something going on at the Moon Palace. Who's the only one who would have been able to get us reincarnated at the same time?"

Seeing her pause and look pointedly at him, Ranma sighed and started looking through the memories he had just gained. It surprised him that it took only a moment for him to come up with a name, "Queen Serenity."

Nodding, Akana resumed her pacing, "Yeah, but something happened with us. Instead of being reborn a girl, we were reborn as a guy… and I'm pretty sure you can guess why."

This time, he didn't even have to search those memories, "Jusenkyo."

"Right, again", she confirmed before frowning, "I'm not totally sure on this, but I think Queen Serenity's attempt to send us forward only half worked due to Jusenkyo's magic. It made the 'spring of drowned girl' but also messed up Queen Serenity's spell." Giving a shrug, Akana added, "However it happened, you have to admit that it's not that unbelievable; considering everything that's happened to us in this life."

Giving the situation a quick comparison, Ranma had to begrudgingly agree with the redhead. He took solace in the fact that it didn't mean he had to like it, though. Motioning slightly with a hand, the martial artist vocalized this, "Yeah, okay. So, let's say this is all real…" Seeing the smug smile growing on the girl's lips he quickly amended dryly, "Hypothetically… What was with the blast of pain when I… remembered that stuff?"

Frowning thoughtfully while moving to sit upon the exposed root once more, Akana let out a hum before deadpanning, "No clue."

This had Ranma blinking in surprise, "What?! 'No clue'?"

"Yeah… I don't know", she admitted unabashed, "I'm just a figment of our past life to keep you sane, remember; not some all knowing goddess." Looking off into the distance at the floating clouds, she half asked, "Have I claimed anything more?"

"No…" Ranma reluctantly replied, "But you have been spouting answers left and right."

"Well, most of those were educated guesses", Akana corrected, "I mean, we did have more magic in my time than what you have now, right? Besides, the major reason I think Jusenkyo's a major player in this is the fact that I wasn't… awake, I guess, before Genma knocked you in."

Eyeing the redhead with a curious gaze, the raven haired male asked, "If you've been around since then, why didn't you say anything before all this Senshi stuff?"

"I have", Akana replied, looking towards their male persona, "since you splashed out 'cursed' till the 'Senshi stuff', I've been talking to you." Saying that, she frowned slightly in annoyance, "Or at least I kept trying to. The most you could hear me was on a subconscious level, I think. I'm not even sure of that, though."

"So…" Ranma drawled out, trying to think up what to ask next. Having such a multitude of questions floating out in his head, he chose a simple one, "What happens next?"

Not quite expecting that, Akana drew a blank, "Huh?"

"What happens next", Ranma repeated, waving a hand out in the air above him, "There's got to be some sort of master plan or something for all this. I mean, there's no way in hell that this is all random chance."

The seated redhead blinked for a few seconds before cautiously stating, "Well, it could be a byproduct of the Queen's spell trying to fix itself… Even within your own experience with magic, you've got to admit that it will usually find a way to get what it wants done."

"Maybe…" the raven haired teen acknowledged before starting up his own pacing, "I still don't like this, ya know."

"Like what", Akana obligingly asked, knowing her male reincarnation wanted to get something off his chest.

"The fact that something else decided to take control of my life and choose something for me that I, yet again, have no control over!"

"Oh, boohoo, woe is me… So you know about your past life now; your world is coming to an end", the nearby girl sarcastically and theatrically wailed.

Jerking around to glare at the smugly grinning princess, Ranma growled out, "It's not the past life thing I'm pissed off about. It's the whole magical girl part of it, along with the Senshi telling me I need to join them!"

Letting out a sigh, Akana raised her hands in a placating gesture, "Okay, okay… let's start out with the whole 'Magical Girl' part of it. First off, tell me the martial artist's creed."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"Just say it", the blue eyed girl ordered, crossing her arms under her chest with a frown.

"Fine", Ranma bit back with a scowl before reciting, "Protect the weak, never turn your back on duty or honor, fight for what's right and defend that which you are sworn." Taking a breath, he pointedly asked, "So, why'd you need me to say it?"

"Just a sec and you'll know", Akana smugly replied, "Now, think about the Senshi's creed." As she finished, she saw Ranma frown but concentrate for a second before his body language changed slightly. "There, that's why I wanted you to say it."

"Okay… so they're sort of the same", the martial artist conceded, "but I don't see what you are trying to get at."

Sighing in frustration, the figment of a long dead princess connected the dots, "Senshi are guardians of the planets they are tied to. I.E. you're the Guardian of Terra. The powers are just part of the job, which isn't really any different than your job as a martial artist; just bigger." Twisting one side of her lips up into a grin, she divulged, "If it's any consolation, I never liked the uniform that came with the job."

"Yeah, I hear you loud and clear on that…" Ranma agreed vigorously, "but what about the rest of the Senshi?"

"What about them? They're good girls, if they're the same as back then", Akana stated.

"That's the thing, I ain't a girl and I can't join their team!"

The grin once more returned with a vengeance, "Well, being a girl or not really depends on the temperature of the water, you know."

"Oh, hardy har har. A real comedian", the raven haired male deadpanned in return.

"What? It's true", Akana asked back as she claimed ignorance to Ranma's problem. It only lasted a moment under his half lidded glare before she relented, "Geez, take it easy, okay? Anyways, you don't want to join their group, for whatever reason, right?" Seeing his quick nod, she shrugged, "So don't join it."

"Right", Ranma accepted before what she said really registered, "Wait… what? Aren't you supposed to talk me into it?"

"Why would I do that? You just told me you didn't want to", the female asked back, puzzled at his issue.

Just as confused, Ranma didn't know where to really start, "You know… with you being part of their group in the past…"

"Ah, Ranma… I wasn't really a part of the Queen's Senshi… Terra was politically separate from the Moon Kingdom, so Terra's Guardian didn't swear fealty to Queen Serenity like the others did. If there was a big problem, they could call for help and Terra's Guardian would respond out of respect and mutual safety." Akana shook her head, "I don't really know the entire deal with it, but that's what our Aunt explained to me."

"Oh… okay…"

"Really, I don't care if you join up with them or not, but help them out if they need it, okay? Just think about it", Akana requested before smiling in a remenicent way, "I had some good times with them."

"Yeah, sure", Ranma answered offhandedly, his mind busy crunching all this information and trying not to be overwhelmed by it all.

"Hey", the redhead called out, getting his attention while she hopped off the root, "One last thing; Endymion."

"What about him", Ranma asked with tinge of ice in his voice, easily remembering the way the armored 'brother' tricked him into triggering the transformation.

"Look", Akana started out in a soft voice, slowly moving closer to the tall standing male, "Endymion's my brother… and yours too." Clasping her hands behind her while looking up a little into mirrored steel blue eyes, she requested, "All I ask is that you let him know… He doesn't deserve being left to think that I… you… his sibling has abandoned him." Stopping only a hand's span away, she smiled shyly, "Just give him a chance… please."

Letting out a long drawn out sigh, Ranma nodded even as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Okay… I'll talk with him."

Hearing that immediately brightened the girl's mood as she wrapped her arms around her reincarnated self, "Thanks, Ranma." Releasing the taller male from the quick hug, she grinned widely as she gave a quick wave, "Just remember, this is our life and you're the one living it."

Gaining a confused look on his face, Ranma tried to ask what she was talking about but just as he opened his mouth a shrill shrieking cut through the air, causing the world to shift and warp. Just before darkness enveloped him, he heard three final words from the Atlantian princess...

"See you around..."

oOo

Having his ears assaulted with the shrill shrieking, Ranma jerked his eyes open to the early morning gloom of the room he and Akane shared in the Hikawa shrine. Groaning, he reached over his sleeping wife to shut off the annoying electronic demon she had insisted on using. 'Ugn... stupid alarm...'

After fumbling around with a few blind swipes, the noise was finally silenced, letting Ranma settle back down beside his wife for a few more minutes of holding her in peace. As he wrapped his arm around the smaller form of his wife, Ranma noted in his half asleep daze how comfortable holding Akane felt. All the struggles to get the mess that was his life cleaned up and now, just by holding her, it felt like everything was right in the world...

That feeling lasted all but around five minutes; the wailing banshee then resuming its inane screeching, breaking the tranquil peace of the morning stillness.

"Hmm... What time is it", the woman in his arms mumbled out as she adjusted her position slightly when he reached over her once more to completely shut off the alarm.

Smiling at how cute she sounded in her half-asleep state, Ranma squeezed his arms lightly as he lowly replied, "Whatever you set that thing for, Akane..." Raising his head to look over his wife's own, he clarified, "...around five-thirty."

Hearing that, Akane let out an annoyed groan, "Uhg... too early..."

Chuckling, he hugged her one last time before releasing her to slide out from under the blanket. Feeling him move, Akane rolled over and looked at him with dazed eyes as she rubbed the sleep out of them, "Where are you going... it was warm..."

"I'm going out to train", Ranma replied as he reached over to his pants and pulled them over his boxers. As the silence wore on as he finished tying his waist and then leg straps, he looked over to the dark haired woman who was watching him with a dreamy smile on her face. Quirking a brow, he inquired, "You coming or you gonna stay in bed all day?"

The smile Akane wore lost some of its luster as thoughts of leaving the warm bedding flittered through her mind, but it came back with a purely determined tone as thoughts of training with her husband quickly followed. "Okay, just give me a minute", she declared as she started to push the covers off herself. It didn't take too long for her to notice the morning chill, along with the lack of anything but her underwear, causing the woman to jerk the covers back over herself with a surprised squeak. "Um... go on... I'll be out in a minute", Akane haltingly stated a second later, a slight blush on her cheeks.

Looking at his wife's antics, Ranma raised a brow before he grinned, "You do know I saw more on the day we met, right?"

Flushing even further, Akane frowned at her longer haired husband before gaining a conspiratory smirk, "So? You're not seeing that again until we have our 'wedding night' and that's not happening until we move out on our own!" Seeing Ranma freeze as the thoughts she had seeded in his mind grew, she smirked even greater as she threw a pillow at him, "Now get out of here so I can get dressed! I'll be out in a bit."

Being a bit preoccupied, the pillow lightly impacted square in the martial artist's face, breaking him out of his stupor. Still in a slightly dazed state, shown by his goofy grin, Ranma echoed his wife's words even as he opened the door and stepped through it, "Yeah... be out in a bit..." Just before the door closed, and even after, he could hear his wife's joyous laughter; playing symphony to his feelings on the matter.

After a few moments of standing just outside their borrowed room in the shrine his grandfather ran, Ranma shook himself free of his lust induced haze. 'That solves that! I'm finding us a place today', he resolved, clenching a fist before him before stepping away towards his destination: the courtyard outside.

Still holding the thoughts of his wife in his mind, Ranma wandered mainly on autopilot as he made his way through the shrine and out the main doorway to the courtyard. Standing a few feet out from under the overhang which ran the entire length of the building, the raven haired fighter inhaled the crisp morning air as he stretched out his back, arms high above him. A few seconds into the quality stretching, he found himself startled by a wizened voice behind him, "Hmm... looks like you're in a good mood this morning. Did you sleep well, Grandson?"

Turning his head to look over his shoulder, Ranma spotted his grandfather standing just outside the doorway, under the awning, with his hands clasped behind him. Lowering his arms as he fully turned around, the young man grinned, "Guess you could say that."

Though of a different sort than Ranma's, Jushiro grinned as well as he spoke, "Oh? Is that so?" Nodding to himself, he continued without pause, "Of course, that's all that is right in the world. Young love, just wedded bliss..." Locking his grandson with his eyes, he held a hand to his mouth in a mock whisper, "Just remember about the poor insulation in the walls and not being too loud."

Letting out a sigh, Ranma shook his head, "Grandpa, we aren't going to do that till we find a place of our own..."

"Ah... well then, I guess it's for the best then", the priest said with another nod, "but enough of that, what has you up so early today?"

"Training", Ranma proudly stated with a smile and a clenched fist. "I'm just waiting on Akane to get out here so we can spar. I've been working with her for a while and she's finally got her speed up to a good level. Now I'm working on her defense."

"Is that so", Jushiro asked with a raised brow, "It sounds like you will be a great sensei soon enough."

"Thanks", the young man replied, beaming with the praise. A moment later, he asked his own question into the air, "So, why you up so early, Grandpa?"

"Oh, I was just preparing the shrine for the coming day", the elderly man explained with a wave towards the building behind him. "I saw you coming outside, though, and wanted to ask a favor of you." Seeing his grandson's questioning look, he continued, "Could you show me your ki abilities?"

Blinking a bit at the request, Ranma counter-asked, "How'd you find out about that?"

"Akane mentioned it last night after you left", Jushiro explained, "Among other things..."

"Huh", the raven haired martial artist grunted, as he scratched his head. 'I thought Akane wanted to keep that from too many people...' he pondered to himself before stating, "Yeah, sure... no problem." Raising a hand, he pulled a bit of ki into a small golden orb, just like when he showed his cousin two days before.

The aged priest let out a thoughtful hum as he examined the small ball of ki, "Impressive, but this isn't the extent of your abilities is it?"

"Naw, I can do a lot bigger, but then I can't reabsorb it like I can with this one", Ranma stated with confidence as the orb dissipated back into his body.

"Is that so", Jushiro asked with an appraising gaze. "Would you be willing to hold one so I can examine it?"

"Uh... I guess", Ranma replied with a shrug. "How big do you want?"

"As large as you can make it while still holding onto it for a bit", his grandfather detailed, "I will need a little while to examine it, if it's no trouble."

"Sure, I can do that", Ranma said with a nod before looking around the courtyard, "but like I said, I'll need to fire it off due to the size you want."

Knowing exactly what his grandson was hinting at, Jushiro nodded, "Not a problem, son." Pointing skyward, he stated, "Just let it loose into the air. Fortunately, at least for this, odd things are becoming commonplace for this ward, much like Nerima it would seem. If anyone does ask, I can tell them that we were testing a firework for a coming festival."

"Uh... okay... Just give me a second to set up..."

oOo

Finally dressed in her training gi, Akane stepped outside of her room and into the hallway. Closing the door behind her, her thoughts ran little on the martial arts she was about to perform but more on the lingering dream that had plagued her sleep last night. Placing a finger to her chin, she wondered, "...it was a dream... right?"

Sure, Akane would admit to realistic dreams in the past, which is the whole reason why she wasn't brooding even more deeply on the issue. Still, whatever she had experienced was deeply unnerving, especially after what had happened following Rei's technique. After a quick moment, the short haired woman nodded, deciding to ask Rei about it the first chance she got. Oddly, this meeting happened sooner than she had planned... Not but a few moments later, Akane stepped into the main passageway through the building just in time to impact a hurriedly moving priestess.

"Ow..." Rei's pained voice echoed out in the room as she held her head. A moment later, she realized what had just happened and asked in concern, "Oh no! Akane, are you alright?!"

Wincing slightly as she touched her own forehead, Akane replied with a controlled face, "Yes... I'm fine." Looking at her husband's cousin, she asked, "Why'd you run into me, though?"

"Sorry, Akane", Rei apologized with a slight bow, "I was preparing for a fire reading when I felt... Sorry, I need to hurry."

Blinking at the sudden reaction, Akane watched as the priestess ran towards the doorway leading to the courtyard. A moment later, the female fighter realized just why Rei had reacted so and ran towards it herself. Rushing through the still open doorway, she stopped just short of the frozen miko. Blinking once more, she looked over the younger female's shoulder to see the courtyard bathed in a golden glow not caused by the morning sun which hadn't yet crested the horizon.

Even as she watched, her husband stood in the middle of the courtyard with his grandfather nearby. While sweat beaded on his brow, Ranma's hands held a large orb of golden energy of around a half meter in diameter by her guess. Looking on in wonder, both at the sight of her husband's ability and why exactly Jushiro was standing so close to him, Akane heard Ranma's voice strain out, "Get back!"

A moment later, with a loud yell, the ball of ki streaked skyward. It was a full two seconds later before it finally ran itself out, petering off into nothingness.

Back on the ground, the elder priest lowered his head from watching the spectacle and scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm... You're using confidence to boost your power, it seems", he noted as he scrutinized his grandson.

Panting a bit, Ranma blinked at the elder male, "You can tell?"

"How could I not? It's saturating the area", Jushiro said with a sweeping wave of his arm.

Before Ranma could formulate a response, Rei found her own voice and cried out, "That was amazing!" This caused both males to jerk their gazes over, they finally noticing her and Akane due to her exclamation.

Looking towards his cousin, Ranma felt the irritation and betrayal from the day before but it had lessened with the passage of time... along with other considerations. Even still, he kept up a friendly mask with consideration on the fact that Rei didn't know he was Ranko. "Morning', Rei. What you doing up?"

Taking a second to switch mental gears, Rei response was still filled with awe from what she just witnessed, "Um... I was setting up for a fire reading, but I ran out here when I felt the ki buildup..."

"Oh", the young man replied while scratching the base of his pigtail, "Ah... sorry 'bout that."

"No, no, no", the miko profusely cried, waving her hands before her, "The fire reading can wait. I'm happy I was able to see this! Really, it was amazing! So much more than what you showed me before!"

"You might want to stop praising him, Rei", Akane's voice broke in with a smile in the tone, "much more of that and his ego won't fit in our room anymore."

Giving his wife a dry look, Ranma replied, "I'm not that bad..."

"Whatever you say, Ranma", she returned before adjusting the tie on her gi with a grin, "Ready to spar?"

"Yeah... now that I'm tired out", Ranma muttered as his grandfather clapped him on the shoulder with a hand. Seeing the elder smile as he walked away, Ranma couldn't help but share in it as he said in a louder voice, "Sure, bring it on, Akane."

It seemed as if Jushiro and Akane swapped out in a tag team match, Akane facing her husband in the center of the courtyard while the elder priest standing with his blood granddaughter under the awning. Once there, the elder stated, "So you felt his ki buildup, did you. Only other ki users or those with strong spiritual experience can sense it, and even then one would have to be nearby to feel it." Placing a hand on her head, he smiled, "I'm proud of you, Rei. You are going to be a great miko; I have no doubt."

Rei stood there looking at her grandfather in slight confusion for a bit before smiling back. "Thanks, Grandpa. That means a lot to me", she told him as she gave him a loose hug.

Meanwhile, out in the center of the courtyard, Ranma watched his wife run through a quick warm up kata. As she wound down, settling back into the same ready position she started in, Ranma kipped up from his own warming exercises. "You ready, Ranma", Akane questioned him as she fell into a balanced stance of the Tendo school.

"Oh, I'm ready", Ranma stated with a smirk as he slid into an easy relaxed stance, "Question is; are you ready?"

Frowning, she confidently stated, "Of course I'm ready. Why do you thi-AH!" Hearing the shift in the short haired woman's speech from words to a startled cry, Rei and her grandfather quickly looked over to see her launch into a defensive combination to block Ranma's quick and unexpected strikes. After regaining her mental and physical footing, Akane cried out at her husband, "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing", the raven haired male replied, somehow finding a way to shrug while transitioning from a jab to a knife hand strike. Seeing the slightly shorter martial artist keeping up with her blocks and evasions, he commented, "You're doin' good. Keep it up, 'kane!"

After a minute or two of watching the sparring session, Jushiro nodded sagely as he said into the air, "Yes… he'll be a fine sensei indeed."

"What was that, Grandpa", Rei asked, breaking the trance she had fallen into while watching the two seemingly twirl and dance in sync around the courtyard. Just after asking this, her grandfather replied, "Oh, I was just noticing how Ranma is teaching his wife right now. I told him earlier that I expect him to be a great sensei when he starts running his family dojo and I have little doubt of it now."

After another bout of silence, the two once more watching the fighters clash with fist and foot, Rei spoke out once more, asking in a half-awed voice, "I wonder if he can train me… maybe teach me some ki techniques like his. I wonder just how much stronger I'd be…"

Raising a brow, Jushiro stroked his chin slowly with a hand before responding, "Rei… why would you wish to learn his combat techniques?"

"Huh", the long haired priestess stuttered out, processing what her grandfather had just said. "Oh, I didn't mean… I meant having him teach me how to train my ki. You know, to be able to perform stronger fire readings and things like that." Even as she said this, Rei was kicking herself mentally for losing her situational awareness and almost talking about her Senshi life in front of her grandfather.

Eyeing the young girl beside him with scrutiny, Jushiro finally spoke once more after a long moment with a slow nod, "Ah… I see." Closing his eyes, he nodded again before opening them once more, "Oh, speaking of fire readings, weren't you setting up for one earlier?"

It was only seconds later that he smiled as he watched his granddaughter sprint back into the shrine, a hurried cry hanging in the air of her wake.

oOo

It was almost an hour later when Rei heard someone open the outer doorway before knocking on the inner washroom door. Adjusting herself in the furo, causing the sloshing water to echo off the tiled walls, she called out, "Yes?"

"Rei? It's me Akane", a tired female voice responded through the thin door. "Would you mind sharing the washroom?"

While not used to sharing the furo, being the only female at the shrine most times, Rei wasn't opposed to the idea. "Sure, Akane. I don't mind", she called back, settling back down even as the door slid open.

"Thanks, Rei", the shorter haired woman said as she stepped through and closed it behind her, holding a small towel before her in a small show of modesty. "I didn't know Ranma was going to work me out so hard", she commented as she sat down on the washing stool and set up her cleaning supplies.

"Yeah, from what I saw, you two were really going at it", Rei agreed from her position in the water.

A loud splashing sound resounded in the room as the new Saotome woman dumped overturned a bucket above herself before picking up a washrag. Giving a quick shake to get the water out of her eyes, she inquired, "From what you saw? From what you said yesterday, I expected you to watch the entire thing today."

"I would have", the soaking miko replied with a wave of her hand, sending droplets of water rippling across the furo, "but I was preparing a fire reading when I noticed Ranma's display. If it wasn't for that…"

"Oh… I guess that's your training then?"

Looking off at nothing on the wall, Rei distractedly answered, "Yes, I guess you could say that."

Setting the rag aside and moving on to her hair, Akane glanced over with concern, "Is something wrong?"

Blinking at the question, Rei didn't immediately respond. When she did, she waved a hand before her, "No, nothing's wrong. Just some things I need to work through." Smiling slightly at the concern her new cousin-in-law was showing, she added, "Thanks for the concern, through."

"Well, okay, Rei", the soap covered woman replied before overturning another bucket, causing another echoing splash to fill the air. A moment later, Rei scooted over a bit, allowing room for the elder female to sit across from her in the furo; which she did.

A calm silence filtered over the steam filled washroom, punctuated by a relaxed sigh soon after Akane entered the hot soak. Both females sat back, enjoying the warm muscle relaxing water in that quiet until Akane removed the folded rag from her forehead and looked over towards the younger raven haired girl. "Um… Rei", she started up, nervously trying to word her thoughts, "do you know anything about dreams?"

Blinking at the unexpected question, Rei mentally faltered for a moment before quickly remembering the events last night. "I have some training in interpreting dreams", she responded, if a little warily and with a touch of anticipation. "Why do you ask?"

"Well…" Akane started once more before stalling and dropping her gaze to the steaming liquid. Taking a moment to mull over her words once more, she stated, "I feel kind of silly about this, but last night I had a really weird dream." Raising her eyes to look into Rei's deep blue, the martial artist elaborated, "I wouldn't have said anything, but it seemed so real and… and I think it's because of whatever you did to me last night."

Keeping a tight rein on her growing excitement, Rei mastered her face into a professional image as she said, "I don't know… it might be, but I would need to know more about it to try and decipher what it could mean."

Still looking a little embarrassed, Akane spoke a little about the dream, with Rei listening intently, "It seemed so real, like I was actually living it. I don't understand why, but Hotaru was in it but… but I was her brother, of all things!" Shaking her head, she halted any of Rei's words by continuing on, "But the most… disturbing thing is the fact that I could remember! I had memories in it!"

Gaining a clear worried look, Akane wrapped her arms around herself, "Then, I… I died…"

For Rei, every word just solidified her belief in Hotaru's theory, all the way to the peak at Akane's sobering end. At that point, shock at the odds of two people from the Silver Millennium being found so close to one another causing the young miko to lean back against the edge of the furo once more. After a moment, she finally remembered the woman waiting with the worried look and cleared her throat softly, "I can't be totally sure on this… but from what you told me, it seems like I unlocked memories from your past life…"

"Past life", Akane echoed in a far away voice, "Are you sure?"

Shaking her head, if only to keep up appearances, Rei answered, "Like I said, I'm not sure about this." Placing a hand on the elder female's arm, she softly urged, "I do think you should talk to Hotaru about this, though." Seeing Akane's questioning look, the priestess explained, "She's a… special girl and might know more about this than you think. Just trust me on this…"

oOo

The air still held a bit of a chill in it as Akane and her husband started off their trek to the university a little while later that morning. The revelation about her dream calmed some of her worry, especially after she decided to follow Rei's advice to talk with Hotaru about it the next time she saw her. The rest of her worry was warded off by her husband's arm wrapped around her waist, as he held her close while they walked down the streets.

Both seemed to bask in the shared silence, just enjoying the chance to take pleasure in each other's presence without all the chaos that had plagued their courtship before. Observers could easily tell the two were in love; young love at that. Eventually, though, the university neared and Akane looked over to Ranma and asked, "So… What classes do you have scheduled today?"

Giving off an unconcerned shrug, he replied, "Don't know. I haven't really checked my schedule yet. Just know I have a math class this morning. After that…"

"Ranma", his wife said in a lightly chastising tone, "how are you going to graduate if you have an attitude like that?"

Quirking his brow while managing a slightly offended tone, the currently taller Saotome countered with, "Hey, I graduated Furinkan, didn't I? And I got good scores to boot!" Shrugging once more, he stated, "Besides, I've got an appointment with a counselor before the class this morning. I'm more worried about that."

"Appointment with a counselor", Akane echoed, while gaining a mischievous smile, "It's only the first day and you're already in trouble? Are they going to call Ms Hinako to teach soon, too?"

Rolling his eyes at the painfully obvious jab, Ranma gave off a sarcastic laugh, "Funny… No, I'm not in trouble." Shaking his head, he reminded, "Remember when I told you I was looking into a job as a P. E. Assistant? Well, I've got to get a counselor's approval for it. Plus, there's not a lot of info on it in the listing… said the counselor would explain it in full."

"Oh… Well, good luck then."

"Yeah", Ranma agreed with a nod, before silence overtook the pair. A bit later, he spoke up once more, "Hey, I've got a question for you."

"Huh? What is it", the short haired woman responded, wondering what her husband was going to ask.

"Well, don't take this the wrong way", he started out, trying to ward off any errant response, "but you seemed a little off during the spar this morning…

There was an almost imperceptible twitch to her brow when she replied, "It might have had something to do with you attacking straight off…"

"No, no…", the raven haired young man cut in, waving a warding hand, "I mean, your mind wasn't totally in it. I sort of saw it when you were doing your warm up kata, but it showed a little more when we actually started sparring."

"Oh… sorry about that then", Akane sheepishly replied, "I… I just had something on my mind."

"Something I did?"

"No, just a weird dream", she explained, "but I talked with Rei and she helped me out."

'Weird dream', the male repeated in his mind, giving his wife a scrutinizing look. After a moment, he shook his head, 'Naw… just a coincidence.' "You're okay now, right?"

"Yup", she replied with a smile, "Just waiting to start my first drama class, now." With those words, they passed through one of the campus gates and found themselves in the main campus square. Both coming to a stop, Akane reached up and wrapped her arms around the taller Saotome's neck and pulled him down into a quick but deep kiss. Releasing him a moment later, she coyly said, "I'll see you for lunch, Ranma…"

"Yeah… Lunch…", the dazed martial artist mumbled back, watching with stilled breath as his wife sauntered towards the performing arts building. Minutes later, the other students found him still in the same position…

oOo

Elsewhere in the ward, Hotaru waved her goodbyes to her adopted parents as they drove off, leaving her to walk the couple blocks left to her school. As she slowly strolled her way there, thoughts of the previous day filtered through her mind. Two major points struck strongly, one being the business involving Sailor Terra, but the more important was the quandary of whether Akane was her reincarnated brother or not… all other issues seemed to pale compared to that one.

As Akane went through her mind, Hotaru mentally kicked herself with a wince. 'I should have called the shrine before we left the house', she griped in her mind before giving off a heaving sigh, 'Now I'll have to wait until after school is let out before I can ask Rei if she tried to bring out Akane's memories.' Letting out a lighter breath, she consigned herself to what was and placed it to a metaphorical back burner.

Moments later, the young Senshi found herself standing before the gates of her school, surrounded by her fellow students. The major snag; the gates were closed.

"Why are the gates closed", another freshly arrived student questioned loudly over the din of murmurs.

Another student answered back, just in Hotaru's hearing, "There was a flood or something. They're not letting us inside…"

"A flood", Hotaru repeated in surprise.

"Yeah", a girl from her class replied from beside her, "Sakura told me about it last night. Her father was called in to fix it, but a pipe had broken. There was water everywhere!"

Blinking in astonishment, Hotaru tried to respond, but a loud adult voice called out over the mass of young teens, "Quiet down! Quiet down! I've got important news for you all!" When the gathered youths had silenced enough for the tall man, he continued in a commanding voice, "Due to the busted pipes, which you've probably heard of by now, the school is closed for today."

Almost immediately, a grand cheer rolled out from the throng which hampered any other statement he tried to make until he let out a shrill whistle, quieting them once more. "Alright! As I was saying, the school is closed, but that still doesn't mean you won't get homework for today!" Ignoring the groans he continued on, "Before you leave, find your teacher along this wall to receive today's homework! Also, there will be a quiz tomorrow covering today's reading tasks! That is all!"

Stunned by the situation, it took her a few seconds to follow along the throng towards the teachers. By the time she had made it to her homeroom teacher, the purple haired girl was smiling happily as she received her assignments, which confused the other students around her. In her own mind, though, Hotaru was pleasantly thinking, 'Since schools out, maybe I can see Akane during lunch break!'

With a significant skip to her step, the young teenaged Senshi strolled away, bent on finding her newly found lost brother.

oOo

"Meiou Setsuna..."

Ranma stood there in the hallway, reading the name on the placard out loud as if tasting it. "...Guidance Counselor", he finished off, almost arbitrarily.

Finding nothing interesting about the entrance to the counselor's office other than something ungraspable with the name, the pigtailed freshman shrugged and knocked on the hardwood door. Just after the deep resounding echo of his strikes faded, a voice from beyond the closed portal called, "You can come in, Saotome-san."

Blinking in mild surprise, Ranma mechanically entered the room to find himself in a miniature history museum slash library archive. The only normal things occupying the room were the rather unobtrusive wood desk and chairs that were standard throughout the offices he had passed in the halls. Everything else... well, Ranma couldn't categorize everything in one sweep of the office, ranging from painstakingly ordered books, which looked as ancient as the bookshelves holding them, to trinkets that looked like they came out of Cologne's magic cache.

Ranma would have continued observing the items in the space, but a woman's voice called out to him once more, breaking him from his trance, "Saotome-san... you can sit down if you like."

Turning his gaze over to the other occupant, he scratched the base of his pigtail while maneuvering into the empty chair. "Ah... sorry about that, Meiou-sensei...", the freshman sheepishly muttered, finding his eyes drawn to her amusement filled, smiling face.

"That's quite all right, Saotome-san", the counselor dismissed, waving a hand to indicate the room around them, "I usually see such a reaction from people first seeing my collection. I find it quite amusing, actually."

"I bet", Ranma agreed, taking another quick glance around before setting back on the woman before him. "Ah... just curious, but how'd you know I was the one knocking?"

"Oh, that's very simple, Saotome-san", Setsuna started to answer, eyes twinkling, "You were the only one with an appointment this morning and it was eight-thirty." Smiling like she held a secret, she continued, "I must thank you for showing up on time, as well. Not many people do so and I consider timeliness an important character trait."

"No problem", the pigtailed male replied, once more scratching the back of his head. Unease was working its way into his nerves, but he couldn't place why. Disregarding it, he was about to forge on when the emerald haired woman cut him off before he started, "I see you were inquiring about the Physical Education Assistant Teacher position. That is correct, right?"

"Yes, ma'am", the blue eyed student replied with a nod, "I saw it yesterday but it said I needed a counselor's approval and that you'd have more information about it. I've got the credentials for it, but I was hoping to get some course credits for my time."

Letting out a thoughtful hum, Setsuna made a show of looking at the paperwork for a minute before speaking once more, "I see you're a high ranking martial artist... a master of your school?"

"I'm the heir to the Saotome Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu", Ranma stated as if it answered the question.

"Hmm... so you are", she replied, not looking away from the paper in her hand, "It also says you're studying to be a certified sensei." Flicking her eyes up to see him nod, she placed down the paper and folded her hands over it, "Well, from reading your file and credentials, I see no problems with you taking up the position, Saotome-san."

Blinking in surprise at the ease of the acceptance, expecting to have to fight for her approval, Ranma felt a wash of elation before tempering it with some caution, "Would I get credits for it?"

"It depends on how well your performance is", Setsuna responded with a hand gesture. "If I receive positive reports, then yes, you will get full credit as if you had attended a class of similar nature."

"Great", an obviously pleased exclamation broke out over the neatly cluttered room before being followed with a noticeably more reserved, "Ah... so, where is it and when do I need to show up?"

Smiling in a knowing manner that was just starting to get on Ranma's nerves, the woman handed him a small piece of paper while she answered, "The information is on there. I've already taken the liberty of notifying Tamura-sensei of my approval as well, so he will be expecting you."

"Huh... okay", the raven haired male responded while looking at the information handed to him. A few seconds of silence passed before he stated, "Juuban High..."

"That's correct."

"What about my math class", the male inquired, voice holding the raised brow his physical features followed.

"It's already been rescheduled", Setsuna notified, nodding once more while keeping her smug secretive smile.

"That's... good", he lamely responded before standing up from his chair. "Guess I should head over there, then."

Standing from behind the desk, the counselor nodded for a third time, "That would be wise, Saotome-san."

Blinking at the short responses he was getting, and the obvious minor amusement Meiou-sensei was having at the exchange, Ranma bowed slightly and started moving towards the door. Before he reached it, curiosity got the better of him, "Hey, Meiou-sensei..."

"Yes?"

"If you don't mind me asking, what's with all the... stuff you have in here", Ranma asked, gesturing towards the large collection of books and the few knick-knacks nearby them.

Looking towards the nearest shelf, he heard her voice turn melancholic, "They're just things I've picked up as time passed. I like to read, but many are more about the memories associated with them than anything."

Mentally ticking off the titles of the tomes as his eyes scanned over them, Ranma halted on one specific hardback, "Theories and Formulae of Reincarnation."

Seeing the student give her a puzzled look to go along with his tone, Setsuna looked off into open air while she spoke, "Call it... unusual tastes in reading, if you will. If you had the time to browse my collection, you would find that I have many books pertaining to magic and the paranormal." A pause filled the air before she cupped her elbow with a hand while fingering her chin with the other, "What do you think; do you believe in magic, Saotome-san?"

Snorting at the question, the pigtailed martial artist crossed his arms across his chest, "No, I don't believe in it... I know it exists."

"Do tell...", the tall woman commented, smiling a smile that Ranma would have expected more from Nabiki; one akin to a large snake or cat smiling down at a cornered mouse. A stark lack of words filled the air before she finished the conversation a moment later, "but that will have to wait for another time. I do believe you have an appointment to keep."

"Uh... yeah", he dumbly replied, bowing once more before exiting the room and leaving the... interestingly strange woman to herself. Once more alone, the dark-green haired woman sat down behind her desk, losing the smile she wore for a more worried look. Nibbling on the tip of her thumb, she thought to herself, 'That's the last part done... now all that's left is to see where the dice fall...'

Visualizing the event which set her down this path, Setsuna grumbled to herself, "Sometimes I could just strangle myself... if it wasn't for the fact that I'd be the one on the other end in the future..." Feeling more than a little helpless in the face of what she was required to do, the woman let out a sigh before a flash of light filled the room; leaving it empty.

oOo

He sat there at the campus café, nursing a cooling cup of coffee as he stared off into nothing. His eyes and ears might have seen and heard the world playing on about him, from students wandering the courtyard to the din of Juuban echoing off the buildings, but his mind ignored all that to concentrate on the thoughts and memories of events past. More specifically, his thoughts revolved around his newly found sister and the events of yesterday; things the tall male had been stewing over ever since without bearing any fruit.

After the events of yesterday, his sister fully manifesting and opening her link with the third planet from Sol, Mamoru had fallen into a dazed funk that lasted through the evening. A restless night awaited him, but he found himself gifted with a more solid base of memories to work with from the Silver Millennium. The problem was, none of them helped him understand Akana's... Ranko's reactions of yesterday's events. Feeling lost, the former and future royal of Earth chose a sensible plan to fix his frustrations; enlisted some friends' help for advice.

The fact that the friends he called upon died millennia past wasn't a hindrance; in fact it was a boon as they could offer insight and knowledge gleaned from the other side. Just when his hopes were rising, they ran head first into a brick wall; Mamoru quickly finding that his otherworldly help were hamstrung by another entity from the great beyond. Every question asked came back with trivial information or a declining excuse of why the four Guardians couldn't answer. All except for the last one...

Just as his four dead bodyguards from the Silver Millennium faded off into the ethereal unknown, their wisps of essence formed a single word in katakana: Jusenkyo.

Now, he sat here at the Sunshine Café, nursing the long cooled beverage while trying to plan his course. Due to his lack of information pertaining to any Jusenkyo, his first step in any string of actions was to hit up the university library. Anything after that was dependant on whether or not he was able to dredge anything up.

Sighing just before draining what little remained of his drink, Mamoru pushed himself up from his small table. A destination firmly in mind, the onyx haired journalist trainee continued his ponderings even as he navigated the route, the campus layout having long since been memorized. With this feeling of familiarity, Mamoru almost missed seeing an important person to his situation walking along a nearby walkway towards the campus gates.

Breaking into a slight jog, the Terran prince raised a hand and called out, "Ranma!"

Hearing his name called out, the long haired fighter halted and turned towards the hail. Steel blue eyes blinked in mild surprise as Mamoru strolled to a stop a comfortable talking distance away. "Mamoru. What you need", Ranma haltingly greeted, feelings from yesterday being dredged up by the first face to face meeting since then.

Not quite expecting the frosty response, Mamoru coughed uncomfortably into a fist before forging ahead, "Sorry to bother you but… um... Since you two trained together, you know a lot about Ranko, right?"

"Yeah...", Ranma warily drawled out, "You could say that. Why?"

Looking at the uncertainty which the slightly shorter but stronger man exuded, Mamoru decided to follow through with a straight reply, "I really need to talk with her... The problem is, I don't know much about her, like her phone number or where she lives."

"And you want to talk to Ranko about what happened yesterday", the younger said as a statement of fact, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Er... Yes. How did you know?"

"I know enough to know that Ranko's confused over whatever happened", Ranma evenly replied to Mamoru's question, still playing it as if he and Ranko were two different people.

Grimacing slightly, Mamoru asked, "Was she angry?"

"Yeah, but she calmed down after a while", Ranma admitted with shrug. "I know it had to do with you… why'd that be?"

"Sorry", Mamoru stated with a shake of his head, "but that's between Ranko and me. If she didn't feel like telling you, it wouldn't be my place." After saying this, Mamoru watched the younger male eyeball him for a few moments before nodding. What was odd was that Ranma's nod didn't feel like one of acceptance, but more like one of approval. Raising an eyebrow and lowering the corner of his lips, Mamoru stated, "You're testing me."

Shrugging in a non-committal way, the martial artist looked at one of the clocks which seemed to litter the halls of the university. Frowning at the time, he stated in a serious tone, "Look, Mamoru… I've got somewhere to be, but I've got to talk to you about something important… 'bout you, me and Ranko."

Blinking at that, Mamoru held his tongue for a few moments, choosing to mull over this new information. 'Myself, Ranko and Ranma', he repeated in his head, confused over Ranma's involvement, if any, in this. Recognizing the seriousness in Ranma's voice, though, he nodded and said, "Alright. I'm guessing you want to talk sooner than later, right?"

"Pretty much", was the simple reply.

"Alright then", Mamoru started, looking at the clock for a moment, "When and where?"

Letting out a thoughtful hum, Ranma replied, "Eleven thirty on the roof of the Tsukori Building."

Looking over his schedule in his head, Mamoru nodded a moment afterwards, "Alright. I'll be there."

Hearing that, Ranma grinned and nodded back. "Great. Now, I've really got to go", he said, turning away with a quick wave, "See you around."

Still pondering over what the coming meeting might be about, Mamoru almost just let the martial artist head off, but a random thought came to mind. "Hey, Ranma", he called out, stalling the red shirted teen into a half turn, "One last question."

"Sure, shoot", was said back with a nonchalant shrug.

"Do you know anything about 'Jusenkyo'?"

What Mamoru saw in Ranma's physical reaction to the question precluded any need for a verbal response; the younger male locking up and frowning slightly with thin lips, "Where'd you hear that?"

Surprised at this revelation and chance to glean more information about why his sister reacted how she did, Mamoru ignored the other's question altogether, "So you do know something!"

"Yeah, more than I wanted to", Ranma bitterly replied before thinking about the little talk he had with… herself last night and letting out a sigh. "Look, I was going to bring it up when we talked anyways. Now, I've really got to leave… I'll see you later." With a quick wave, the martial artist broke away from the conversation at a brisk jog, soon exiting the university grounds towards parts unknown to the still standing Mamoru.

oOo

Maneuvering through the traffic on the slowly crowding sidewalks, Ranma made his way towards Juuban High and his first real time being a sensei… well, an assistant sensei, but it was a start nonetheless. Heading towards this newest turning point in his life still didn't keep his mind from wandering back to his encounter with Mamoru.

'Guess this is it', Ranma supposed as he slipped through a gap between the people ahead of him, 'I'm gonna show him the curse and tell him…'

Hurdling an empty bench, the martial artist frowned in mild frustration, 'I know he's expecting a sister cause of 'Ranko', but… how will he react to me… the real me?'

'I'm not his sister… well, not totally', he corrected as he came to a stop due to a traffic light, 'but can he accept that?' Letting out a breath, Ranma rubbed the back of his neck, 'So, how do I go about this? Should I show up as Ranma or Ranko?'

He pondered it over a bit until the light changed, allowing the waiting pedestrians to cross safely and letting the raven haired teen resume his jog. 'I'm gonna have to show him the curse either way, so I guess it doesn't matter too much', he conceded with a mental shrug before grinning slightly, 'at least he already believes in magic, so that parts done and over with.'

Any more thoughts on his relations with Mamoru came to a grinding halt a minute or two later as he found himself before the Juuban High grounds. As he came to a stop, Ranma found his eye twitching as he observed the repair crews working on a giant hole in the exterior wall that lined the schoolyard.

The very same one he caused when Happosai threw him through it just yesterday.

"You've got to be kidding me", he drawled out, face-palming as he couldn't help but put two and two together. He would have stood there for a while if it wasn't for one of the construction workers nudging him out of the way with a rather terse remark. Returning with his own impolite comment of where the worker could shove the rebar he was holding, Ranma made his way into the high school.

It was a little troublesome, but by following the rather simplistic directions along Setsuna had written on the paper she had given him, the raven haired male finally found himself at his destination. A quick knock on the door was followed by a deep voice calling out, "It's unlocked. Come on in."

Opening the door, Ranma found himself in an office, cluttered in an entirely different manner than Meiou Setsuna's. Instead of old books and knick-knack like artifacts, this office was covered in wall to wall sport paraphernalia ranging from volleyball to martial arts to gymnastics to football and everything in between. After a quick glance around, Ranma's azure eyes were drawn towards the one who had called him in as a mostly fit but aging man stood up from behind the desk. "Ah", the young man started up a little unsteadily, "Tamura-sensei?"

"Yes, that's me", Tamura replied with a nod, "and you are?"

"Er... Saotome Ranma", the martial artist answered with a quick bow, "Nice to meet you."

Giving a slight bow in return, the middle aged man fingered the light beard on his chin, "So you're the one that Setsuna called about, then." Letting out a thoughtful hum, the man moved from behind his desk to walk halfway round the younger male. Stopping between Ranma and the door, the graying man nodded, "Good... I think you'll do fine."

Blinking at the speedy approval, Ranma questioned, "That was quick... Why?"

Grinning, Tamura answered by holding up three fingers and then counting off on them, "Three reasons: one, Setsuna recommended you; two, you have a strong athletic look and confidence in your posture; and three... you're reputation precedes you."

Ranma just stared at the physical education instructor for a moment before he cocked his head at an angle, "Huh? Reputation precedes me?"

Nodding sagely, the elder man answered once more, "Exactly. Now of course, I only know about it because I keep my ear to the ground due to my own martial artist roots, but I've heard of you before today." Clasping his hands behind his back as he slowly made his way back behind his desk, Tamura elaborated, "Saotome Ranma, heir to the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu and a martial artist that will take on any challenger. In fact, you've already taken on quite a few in Nerima and word of you has filtered out into the martial artist world, fueling those challenges even farther." Reaching towards the desktop, he picked up a folder and finished by saying, "Plus it was all in the file Setsuna sent over."

"Ah... okay", the pigtailed youth stated, clearly at a loss. Shaking out of it, he stated with pride, "So, you accepted me 'cause I'm better than everyone else who applied... That's cool."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but you were the only one to apply since we posted the opening almost a week ago." Seeing Ranma's dumbfounded look, Tamura looked a little crestfallen, "Just like Nerima is known for martial artists; Juuban is gaining a reputation for monster attacks, especially around this school." Letting out a sigh, he added, "We've already had a few sensei quit due to the threat of the attacks."

Snorting loudly, Ranma puffed out his chest as he proudly declared, "I ain't afraid of those monsters! I've already fought one of them two days ago, when I first got here. It wasn't so tough!"

Tamura took his own turn to blink in surprise, "Really? That's great to hear! Congratulations!" Clapping the younger male on the shoulder, he commented, "Usually, the Senshi are the ones to take care of them."

"The Senshi... yeah", the raven haired youth echoed lightly as he averted his eyes.

"But enough of that", the high school teacher continued, not noticing Ranma's words, "You're here to help me teach these students and hopefully earn some credits, right?"

"Huh? Oh, right", Ranma returned, "So, what exactly do you want me to do?"

With a quickly growing grin, the elder male answered, "Well, since we have some time, I was thinking about a little friendly spar to show our students what martial arts really is, unlike that stuff they put into the movies. What do you say?"

Ginning back, the pigtailed martial artist nodded as he replied, "Sure, I'd like that."

"Alright then", Tamura exclaimed happily, clapping his hands before him once, "If you'd just wait for me in the gym, I'll meet you there once I've changed."

oOo

"I'm worried about you, Usagi", Makoto stated, her face showing her concern, "What's wrong?"

Blinking, the odango haired girl looked towards her taller friend, "What was that, Mako-chan?"

"What's wrong with you today", the brunette reiterated, gently pulling her blonde friend to the side of the hallway by the shoulder, "You're more out of it than usual. Really, I thought Haruna-sensei was going to blow her top after the third time she had to practically yell to get your attention."

Letting out an uncharacteristically heavy sigh, Usagi fidgeted with her fingers while glancing away from the taller girl, "I'm sorry, I'm just..." Locking her gaze back with the brunette she gained a little more focus, "I just can't stop worrying about yesterday... I mean, what did I do wrong? What made Ranko hate us and what can I do to fix it?"

As their leader gave off another melancholy sigh, both Ami and Makoto shared a look before Ami spoke up, "Usagi-chan, none of us knew she would react like that. It's not your fault..."

"But it is", Usagi broke in with a little heat, more directed at herself than her two friends, "I'm the one who forced Luna to give us the rod and the one who gave it to Ranko!"

"But it was Mamoru who tricked her into using it", Makoto pointed out, which only had the result of the blond focusing on her versus the shortest of the trio.

"Mamo-chan... I tried to talk to him about it, but he's...", Usagi started to say before pausing for the right words, "He won't talk to me about it, but I know he's feeling the same way. Maybe even worse..."

"Well, he is in a very unique situation, Usagi-chan", Ami pointed out, "It's not every day that you find your long lost sibling, let alone for them to act like that way."

"Yeah, I guess", the odango haired female conceded, "but I wish Mamo-chan would talk to me about it."

Squeezing her shoulder in a comforting gesture the brunette of the group put up a small smile, "Just give him some time. We'll figure it all out soon. I mean, Rei was supposed to do a fire reading, right?"

"Right", Ami chipped in, "I'm sure she will find some information we can use to figure this problem out."

Hesitantly, Usagi nodded as she thought about what her friends were telling her, only to nod again more confidently, "You're right!" Smiling at the two girls standing with her, she stepped off towards their next class, spirits uplifted. Of course, the fact that she was leading them towards the locker room to prepare for that next class had nothing to do with it...

A few minutes later, they were just finished changing into the school's P.E. uniforms of shorts and t-shirts when someone burst in the door leading into the gym. Hearing the bang of the door hitting the backstop, most of the girls in the room looked over to see one of their own as she cried out, "Hurry! There's some hunk out here sparring with Tamura-sensei out here!"

Seeing the expressions the girl was giving off, there was soon a mad clamor of students exiting the locker room. Ami and Usagi could only blink as Makoto seemed to be there one second and gone the next, she being one of the first girls out the door.

Makoto, for her part, could only feel disappointment as she came to a halt along with the rest of the students behind her. While they started twittering about the 'hunk', she saw forbidden fruit as she easily recognized her friend's cousin sparring with their P.E. instructor.

Next to her, a girl looked on in awe as the two males traded easy strikes and blocks, saying in wonder, "Wow... he's amazing!"

"He's only playing with Sensei", Makoto replied absently, as she watched the long haired martial artist ply his trade.

Hearing this, the girl, along with a couple other students, turned their attention to the tall girl of the class, "Huh? What do you mean?"

Makoto just shrugged nonchalantly, "I've seen Saotome-san fight before and this is nothing compared to that."

"Saotome-san", one of the girls echoed as they shifted their gazes back towards the object of the conversation. "I wonder if he has a girlfriend..."

Just as Ami and Usagi moved up with their friend, they heard her respond with a snort, "Don't even think about it. He's already married."

There was a moment of silence as those words traveled over the growing group of watchers. Just after that, almost as if there was some unspoken signal, almost every girl cried out, "What!?"

oOo

Surprised by the excited shriek, both martial artists broke their exchange of blows to stand a few meters apart. Seeing Ranma's confused expression, Tamura let out a breath and gave a small bow which the other male returned by reflex. Turning towards the watching gaggle of students, the middle aged sensei called out, "All right! What's all the yelling about?"

Hearing Tamura's voice roll over them, the crowd of youths silenced almost instantly and fidgeted nervously. Letting out a small breath, the aging instructor shook his head while muttering, "Probably just gossip…"

Squaring his shoulders, Tamura cleared his throat before calling out in a commanding voice, "Alright, then. Since I have your attention, I'd like to introduce you to the man beside me; Saotome Ranma. As you have just witnessed, he's an excellent martial artist and will be assisting me part time. Treat him like you treat me during class, understood?"

The gathered students chorused back the obligatory, "Yes, Tamura-sensei!"

Clapping his hands together before him, signifying the end of the introduction, the graying man ordered out, "Now that that's done, form up into your lines and we'll get class started."

Ranma watched the mass of students meander into a rank and file like formation, but noticed that three particular students that were headed towards him. Blinking for a moment, the pigtailed martial artist had to resist face palming once he realized just who the three were. 'Of course I'd have to have their class', he groused internally.

Looking towards the leading blonde, Ranma questioned, "What's up? Tamura-sensei told you guys to form up."

Fidgeting with her fingers, Usagi hesitantly said, "Well, um… We were hoping you knew how to contact Ranko…"

Crossing his arms, Ranma raised a brow and played dumb, "And why are you asking about that?"

"We want to talk to her… well, need to apologize about something, really", the blonde student answered, moving on to play with one of her long ponytails.

Looking at the girl for a moment, the pigtailed martial artist nodded as he let her know, "I'll tell her you said that, okay?" Seeing her brighten up, he waved behind the trio, "Now get over there with the rest of the class."

With a simultaneous response of, "Hai", the three girls turned about to join their classmates in the formation just as Tamura-sensei made his way over. "Something the matter", he asked, interest easily heard in his voice.

"No problem", Ranma replied, waving a hand dismissively, "They're just friends of my cousin."

"Ah", the instructor aired in understanding with a nod. After a moment, looking over the still organizing students, he mentioned, "I'd like to thank you for taking it easy on me out there."

"What're you talking about, Tamura-sensei", the younger man asked, confused with the change of topic.

"I'm talking about the spar, son", the elder said with a shake of his head, "If you do what you did out there for all your students, I see you going far as a sensei. But let's see how you do with a full class of students, eh?" Patting the martial artist on the back, Tamura stepped away to start calling out the planned order of events for the class.

oOo

As time passed, dragging the morning sun ever closer to afternoon, the day found the young Saotome woman sitting at an outside table belonging to one of the small bistros that seemed prevalent around any university. Not long after she arrived, the other patrons could just barely hear her grumbling about someone being late, which they assumed to be a boyfriend considering some of the wording used.

After a bit, though, she seemed to calm down, sipping her tea while looking out into the great nothingness, as if contemplating the universe as a great philosopher might. In reality, Akane was parsing through and replaying the dream of the night before. The major questions weighing on her mind; was it really real and was Rei right?

With the staff content to just let her sit there just outside the establishment, time passed unheeded for the pondering woman up until a familiar voice called out Akane's name, breaking her out of her reverie. Blinking the fading daze out of her eyes, Akane turned towards the voice only to find herself blinking once more. "Hotaru-chan", she asked in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

Smiling towards the seated woman, the girl happily replied, "The school was closed today, so I thought I'd see how you were doing."

"Well… I was waiting for Ranma", Akane started out, sounding hesitant before smiling back, "but since the baka's taking his time, I wouldn't mind having someone to talk to." Seeing the smile brighten even further on the younger girl's face, Akane stood up and suggested, "Why don't we walk while we talk."

"Alright", the violet haired girl chirped as she held her book bag before her.

As the two females left the café and started walking aimlessly down the street, Hotaru couldn't help but see the taller woman stealing glances at her. By the time the two reached the end of the block, Hotaru could help but feel anxious, hopeful over what she had asked Rei to do yesterday. Trying to keep the excitement out of her voice, she asked, "Is something wrong, Akane?"

"I don't know…", came Akane's careful reply as she came to a stop, loosely crossing her arms under her chest. The next words the woman said caused Hotaru's heart to jump in anticipation, "Something happened… and Rei said I should talk to you about it."

Reigning in her energy with almost superhuman effort, the young Senshi thought about how her pseudo-parents would react if she spilled their Senshi identities on an accident if this wasn't what she hoped it was. Taking a breath, the young girl stated slowly, "I'll try and answer if I can, Akane. What do you need to talk about?"

"Well..." the blackish-blue haired woman hesitantly started, "This is going to sound very odd, but… I told Rei about this feeling I had… I swear I've seen you before." Shaking her head quickly, she clarified, "I mean, I know I haven't seen you before, but the first time I saw you…" Seeing the attentive look on the younger female's face, Akane sighed and muttered, "I'm making a fool of myself."

Waving a quick hand of dismissal, Hotaru declared, "No! I don't think that! Please, keep going!"

Blinking at the unusual forwardness of the younger female, at least from what she'd seen currently, Akane followed Hotaru's urging, "Well… Alright, I guess." Taking a breath, she continued where she left off from, "Like I said, it sounds crazy, but I asked Rei about the feeling and she… well, she did some memory improving technique that was supposed to help me remember where I saw you before."

"Did it help", Hotaru asked, interest showing clearly through her voice.

"I… I don't know for sure", Akane replied. "It did something, but what it was… I mean, that night…", she tried to get out, but gave up with a shake of her head.

"You had a dream that seemed real."

Locking her attention fully on the violet haired girl, Akane heard the statement, not question, in her words. Putting a hand to her mouth, the martial artist worked her jaw up and down without anything exiting. After a few moments, she slowly asked, "How did you know?"

"I've been having the same dreams", Hotaru replied in a low voice as she dropped her gaze and fidgeted with her skirt.

Akane could only look on with wide eyes. As the moments passed, she finally regained control of herself, thinking about what Rei had said just this morning. 'Past life…'

Fighting with herself over what to do next, Akane's emotions were showing plainly on her face as Hotaru looked up hesitantly. After a few moments of watching the inner turmoil of the elder female, she nervously spoke out, fear of rejection ringing in her voice, "Akane?"

"I…", the short haired woman tried to start but halted just as quickly, losing herself in thought once more. Hesitantly, she tried once more, going out on a limb, "Verika?"

With that one word, tears formed in the violet eyes of the young Senshi. With a small smile, Hotaru nodded with a sound of agreement before almost whispering, "You remember… Kanma…"

"So… so, it was real?" Seeing the girl nod once more, Akane had to lean against the wall she stood next to, "But… but Kanma was…"

"My brother", Hotaru finished for her with a smile before hugging the taller female, "and I've missed you so much…"

Body running on autopilot while her consciousness dealt with the shock, Akane softly returned the embrace just as if she was holding one of her sisters… With that thought running through her head, she mused, 'I guess I am hugging my sister…'

Breaking from the embrace, the violet eyed girl looked up into dark brown orbs as Akane stated, "This… this is going to take some time to get used to. These memories… His, Kanma's… Their mine, but I'm… I mean, I'm me." Hotaru watched as her reincarnated brother took a breath before shaking her head, "Yeah… defiantly take some getting used to."

"I'll be here to help", Hotaru reassured, holding onto one of the taller female's hands. "I'll always be here, just like you were always there for me. Okay, Onee-chan?"

Akane stared at the young teen for a few seconds before a soft smile formed on her lips as she nodded with a quick, "Right, Imouto-chan!" Almost as quickly, a thought ran its way through her brain, causing her to let out a groan. Seeing her new sister's expression of confusion, she explained, "I just thought about how Ranma'd have a field day if he found out about my being a guy… I mean, Kanma being a guy… You know what I mean."

The violet haired Senshi only giggled in response, but jerked to a startled silence as beeping tones sounded from out of nowhere. With that hauntingly familiar melody, Akane watched as the schoolgirl went from cheerful and fun loving to stark gravity; an event which triggered yet one more glimpse of times long past... One which left her own mood quickly shifting as well…

oOo

"There! Got it", the blond cried out happily, clapping the compact communicator closed.

"Great... Now, we need to find someplace to change", Makoto directed, reaching out to pull Usagi out from the small corner by the lockers and into the mass of panicking students. Using her height and strength to muscle through the shoving and pressing mass of bodies, headed towards a nearby hallway.

Using her friend as a shield, Usagi followed closely behind, having to listen to the panicked yells and screams of her school peers and the loud commands of the teachers who were trying to keep some semblance of control while getting their charges to safety. Not able to see around her friend, afraid of being swept away with the flow around them, the long haired blonde urged Makoto on, "We have to hurry! Ranma needs our help!"

"I know! I'm working on it", the tall brunette growled back, getting agitated at the situation and the growing knot in her stomach. She had been itching for a good fight for a while now, but something in her gut told her this would be a tough one…

oOo

The feeling of a fight flowing through his veins… The feeling of wounds inflicted and incurred… The power of life and death against a worthy adversary… It all was intoxicating and everything he lived for. These were the reasons he watched with a pitied frown as the body of the black haired fighter rolled across the dirt. Sure, the young fighter recovered from the blow; hell, he'd even given a couple good shots in at the start, but now…

"Why don't you just stay down", Athorm asked, obviously bored with the current situation. "Just stay down and we can be done with this…"

Eyeing his stationary opponent warily, Ranma spit out a small glob of red before shooting back, "Like hell I will! I ain't giving Happosai the satisfaction!" Even as he said this, his voice ringing with confidence, Ranma couldn't help but continue to analyze his newest aggressor.

Dressed in loose coal grey cargo slacks and boots with a cloud grey buttoned up short sleeve shirt, Athorm didn't look like any of his normal adversaries. Giving a quick mental shrug, Ranma had to admit that, in all reality, none of them were 'normal'. The only thing setting this man apart from 'normal' was the short hair jutting out in silver spikes on his head.

Grinning slightly at the indignant response, the taller male took a step towards the now defensive stanced martial artist, "I like your spirit, kid, but I'm getting tired of this. Like I told you before, I owe the old guy a small favor and he wants me to rough you up as a lesson." Closing a fist slowly, cracking all his knuckles in the process, he continued stepping slowly closer, "Now, your only choice is bloody or broken; you're gonna stay down one way or another, kid."

Ranma opened his mouth once more to retort again, but abandoned it just as quickly to drop to the dirt; the pressure of a fist occupying the space where his face used to be proving that it was the correct decision. Moving with the flow, the shorter fighter twisted about to sweep the legs out from under the attacking man; analyzing this new burst in speed his opponent now showed even as he did this. Ranma barely recognized Athorm's blurring form shooting forward until it was almost too late.

This started another quick skirmish between the pair, each giving and taking ground over the blurring sends that ticked by. Even through Ranma's best efforts to swing the flow back into his favor, Athorm kept tight rein on the inertia he snagged at the start. Very few blows connected over the flashing dance of violence, with each rolling or twisting the impact into their own counter, but the decisive blow rang out with the silvery haired interloper striking out with a leg against an airborne martial artist.

The crunch of brick and mortar with the shattering of glass sounded much worse than the extra damage incurred, though the extra impact just added to the pain Ranma felt flooding his body. Hissing, Ranma pushed out of the impression his body made in the building wall, pushing the pain to the back of his mind. That kick didn't have the force Ryoga could push out, but it was definitely more dangerous with the speed Happosai's newest helper seemed to posses.

"You see", the older voice called out patronizingly, "you're not going to win."

The fuzz from Ranma's mind tried to clear up as he twisted away from the closing man, but jerked to a halt as an iron grip snagged hold of his uwagi. An instant later, Athorm capitalized on his grip by reintroducing his other fist into Ranma's gut, resulting in another wave of pain as all the air was forcibly evacuated from Ranma's lungs. Barely letting the fighter take a quick gasp, the casually dressed male blasted the younger fighter with a vicious left cross before twisting about and throwing Ranma across the school grounds to roll along the dirt once more.

Watching the dust kick up from the human projectile's passing, the older scrapper reached up and wiped a trickle of blood from his upper lip. Nodding in acceptance of the good shot, Athorm licked his finger clean before moving closer to the recovering Ranma, though noting the slower recovery than the beginning skirmishes. "Nice shot", he vocalized in recognition, steadily prowling closer, "Holding back, even with my wiping the floor with you…"

"It worked, didn't it", Ranma smugly asked back before running a sleeve across his mouth; streaking the dirt covered white with red marks.

Blinking, the twenty something male thought about it for a moment before letting out a chuckle while rubbing his nose, "So it did, so it did…" Shrugging it off, Athorm shook his head while running the hand through his short hair, "Well, I hope you've had fun, kid, 'cause I'm getting tired of…"

"For love and justice; I am the Sailor Suited Pretty Soldier, Sailor Moo-HUH?!"

What happened in these few seconds caused a burst of confusion amongst everyone involved save one… Athorm's bright hazel eyes jerked towards the nearby storage shed, on which four cheerleader-like girls stood, drawn by the unexpected words. Sailor Moon had started into her customary prefight speech, designed to let the bad guys know who she was and that she was ready to kick ass… though usually everyone was so entranced by it as to wait for her to finish.

Ranma, on the other hand, capitalized on the unexpected distraction, using the diversion training that his father pounded into him… literally. Focusing his energy, the Neriman martial artist jerked forward in a rush, flashing to a stop right inside Athorm's open guard. The raven haired fighter's hands pulsed bright gold before snapping straight into the man's cloud grey shirt, exploding in a burst of ki. A smirk enveloped Ranma's face as he watched his opponent fly off into, and through, the very same wall he himself had been thrown into, causing a huge cloud of dust and debris to kick up into the air.

"How'd you like that", Ranma snorted, thumbing his nose while smirking widely.

Any more he might say was cut off as Moon yelled from the side, "Hey, why'd you do that!?"

Blinking, Ranma was confused, "What!? We're fighting!"

"But, but", the blonde stuttered, not at all used to the current scenario, "You hit him during my speech…"

"I don't see anything wrong with it", Jupiter responded, crossing her arms.

"Whatever… Just don't get in the way of my fight", Ranma dismissed the group of Senshi with a wave of his hand, turning back towards the caved in wall and the dispersing cloud of dust.

Almost as if expecting this, a wave of pressure blasted the dissipating dust away from the hole, leaving a scowling Athorm standing on the ruined brick rubble. Gone were the simi-casual clothes; replaced with a formfitting gunmetal grey battle suit. "Oh, your fights over, kid", he growled out, flicking his eyes from the roughed up male to the Senshi standing on the nearby shack, "I've got more important things to do now."

The words barely registered in everyone's minds before the silver haired fighter seemed to disappear from where he stood. Almost instantly, Ranma's vision was blocked by a pair of hazel eyes as words once more entered his ears, "Stay down this time."

The Senshi could only watch helplessly as Ranma explosively rocketed into the air, tumbling over the schoolyard wall and even the buildings across the street. In his wake, the dust cloud blew away to show hard hazel eyes locked on the four remaining beings in the area.

"We meet again… Senshi."

End of Chapter 10

oOo

A/N -

- First off: Sorry about taking so long to write this chapter but life sucks, 'nuff said. Also didn't help that I felt the need to rewrite a few parts over and over due to not liking how it read. Anyways…

- Quickly, I want to give thanks to all the C&C at : Ellen Kuhfeld, Spokavriel, Erika Aizawa, borgrabbit, Erika Aizawa, PCHeintz72, Deric and Cheb.

- I know many of you are scratching your head at the last few sections, or are going to if you decided to read the AN first for some ungodly reason. Well, I've got a madness to my method and I've got some reasons as to it. I'm sure many of you have read the original 'LoD' and know what happened right about now; the differences are starting to become easy to spot. Mainly, this is the fission point from his story. Hopefully I do Mr Giroux's work justice in the way I handle everything from here on out… we'll see. *Shrug*

- Speaking of rewrites, I've redone the Ranma/Akana interaction the most out of this chapter, changing the tone and the way they interact to get many different feelings. I finally drifted away from the majority of the angst and drama by deciding to model Akana off Ranma himself along with changing what exactly she is. I like how it turned out.

Instead of her being all moody over being dead, she's pretty much a way Ranma would have turned out if he had been a girl from the start and grew up in a different environment. The whole nature/nurture debate comes up but that's neither here nor there cause I'm the author. *Evil Laugh while making 'dance puppets dance' motions*

Now for the reviews/questions:

First off, thanks for reading and I'm glad that pretty much all of you like reading this. It's a hell of an ego boost to see my efforts are entertaining people.

Wandering Soul, "So, how long before you officially awaken Saturn Knight, and rejoin the fiances of a past life?"  
- Soon™

Corsairs, "The only thing I had a gripe about was how easily Akana (Ranma) died, but that is to be expected (Shock, killed by own bodyguards)."  
- That's what I was going for. Really, it would be similar to if Kasumi decided to just shank Ranma from behind, who would expect someone who's been so nice to you to do that. Ranma would never expect it… No one ever expects Kasumi!

Dragon Man 180, "And apparently Ryoga in the past hooked up with Hotaru... interesting."  
- Eh… maybe, maybe not.

Borg Rabbit, "I really hope that you are able to do justice to this story when you get to the end of the old main plot."  
- Same here.

masaki yang yi1, "The sexist bull he was spouting [in LoD] was most dispointing. Please don't make the same mistake…"  
- Yeah, that whole sexist thing is a huge Fannon thing, IMO. Even if it is cannon, remember that Ranma's had a couple years to mature while being surrounded by females. I'm trying to steer clear of the 'Girls are weak' attitude and make other reasons why he does things.

As a last note to those who posted reviews requesting certain things happen, not happen or expecting something from the original 'LoD', remember that this is the split in the road from his work and mine. Things in the last few 'LoD' chapters might happen but they might not, so please don't get bent out of shape when things don't go the way you expect. Hell, that's one of the major reasons fanfics exist, to see what happens when an author who's not the creator takes over the characters and does different things with them.

And with that, I'd like to thank you guys one last time for reading and reviewing. I'm still alive and kicking, for now, and I'm still writing when I have the time.


	11. Chapter 11

Fated Pasts, Chaotic Future

A Ranma ½ and Sailor Senshi crossover Fanfic

Written by: Konsaki

oOo

This Fanfic was inspired by and uses source material from 'Lines of Destiny', a dead Fanfic created by Louis-Philippe Giroux. If you would like to read the story he created up till it drops off, there are copies on Ranmafics dot com.

oOo

Grey blue eyes snapped open to view flashes of ground and sky blurring by. Senses screamed at him, only confirming what his eyes blatantly declared as truth. Dozens of impulses blazed by in an instant, more than a decade of training brought to the forefront as muscles tensed and jerked limbs around, throwing Ranma's unexpected and wild flight into a slightly more controlled spinning sideways fall. The immediate concern that he had any control over taken care of, Ranma took full stock of his situation and damage. 'Jaw, ribs and back bruised', he counted out, grimacing as his muscles pulled to control the spin, 'that bastard's going down when I get back there!'

Another flash of grey passed by as his trajectory angled downward with the effects of gravity.

"Come on", Ranma growled as he darted his arms outward towards the roof he was passing over. Spinning through the air, he made a split second decision to gamble everything on one arm versus trying a two handed grab; stretching his left hand out as far as it would go. Another flash of grey came into sight, leading him into a straight on view of a television antenna sticking up out of the building.

Instinct churned through infinite calculations, training making up the difference, as the martial artist moved his arm slightly and adjusted the predicted grip just so. The instant the metal tip of the antenna touched skin; Ranma locked down with an iron grip.

"Alright", the whooping cry of success echoed out across the rooftop only to be quickly followed by an equally loud "Shit" as the metal bent, warped and then snapped under his inertia. Pulling the snapped metal bit up to his face, Ranma cursed once more before accepting that the mishap had at least done one thing for the airborne martial artist; it had slowed down his spin to a manageable level.

On the other hand, it had also slowed his forward motion, leading Ranma to be less airborne each second; the next twist towards the ground showing that he was headed towards a busy street below. 'This gets better and better', he groused silently as his eyes flicked over the vehicles passing below, trying to predict the point of impact.

Twisting about, adjusting his spin slightly, Ranma prepared for the tricky landing ahead of him. Inside his mind, doubts were screaming against the hastily made preparations; fear of failure fighting confidence in his abilities. Pushing the internal struggle aside, the raven haired youth came to the point of no return.

Coiling his legs, the martial artist forced as much reinforcing ki into his extremities to help absorb the impact. Making one final revolution in his spin, Ranma saw his target; a light blue sedan in the outside lane. All the pieces in place, time seemed to shoot forward in speed as Ranma's bare feet made impact on the metal trunk of the sedan.

The sounds of metal collapsing under the unusual pressure placed upon it crunched out into the air. The left rear shocks and springs compressed downward due to the same noise causing weight. Ranma felt his feet pressing into the corner of the vehicle even as the vehicles own momentum started to drag his feet out from under him the moment he touched down. A slight gap opening in the pedestrians walking along the sidewalk parallel to the street and the alleyway beyond them…

Gritting his teeth, Ranma kicked off with all his strength; throwing him into a headlong dive through the narrow gap, twisting in midair to fit. The dirty white blur shooting past caused screams and yells of shock in his wake, befitting the sounds of screeching tires on the road even farther back. Blue orbs witnessed the scene as his body made one twist, showing him the street and shaken civilians… right before Newton's first law came into effect once more, with Ranma slamming back-first into a stationary object.

oOo

"What was that?"

Hearing the question from the elder female, Hotaru quickly looked around the street before grimacing. Reaching out, the smaller girl pulled Akane by the hand towards a nearby alley while explaining, "I can't tell you out here."

Blinking at the strength of the girl's tug, Akane followed along behind the hurrying teen. Once they entered the path between the two stores, the martial artist noticed her newfound sister pull the source of the chiming out from somewhere. Hotaru opened up the object, making it look like an odd looking compact kit, and examined it with a frown, causing Akane to ask, "What's that and what's going on?"

"It's an alert signal", Hotaru explained, examining the simple display before frowning slightly, "Sailor Moon is calling for help."

Hearing the heroine's name Akane couldn't help but echo it in a surprised cry, "Sailor Moon?" Then it hit her, 'Of course Hotaru knows Sailor Moon, being Sailor Saturn!' Shaking her head, she dispelled the shock to focus on the situation at hand, "What's happening where she needs our help?"

"I don't know", Hotaru stated, chewing on her lip in worry and indecision before recognizing what the other female had said. Giving her head a quick shake, Hotaru reached out and grasped Akane's hands emphatically, "You can't be seriously thinking about fighting with the Senshi, are you!" Seeing the beginnings of a 'yes' motion, Hotaru powered on with a violent shake of her head as she jumped forward to envelope the taller girl in a strong hug, "No! I don't want to lose you after finally getting you back!"

Any ire the martial artist might have generated evaporated instantly in those actions as she quickly wrapped her own arms around her younger sister. "But I'm a martial artist…", she tried to defend her choice, even while feeling the ground figuratively crumble beneath her position.

"It won't do much without magic", the younger teen countered, relishing in the feeling of the hug and noting how similar but different it felt from her adopted parents'. "If you had your spells, it would be one thing, but…"

Looking down at the dark hair with a slight violet sheen, Akane frowned slightly as she thought about that fact of her past life and realized the smaller female had a valid point. Kanma had trained for over a decade to reach the third circle, longer than Akane had in her family's martial arts. She also noted that almost every spell Kanma had cast, barring the easiest low level spells, were used with his weapon as a focus. Without that, she would have even less chance to successfully cast in this life, especially in the heat of battle.

Akane let out a long breath, running a plan through her head before vocalizing it, "How about this, I'll try to summon… Mjollnir. If I can summon it without any problems, then I fight. If not…"

Just hearing that brought flashes of her sibling's war hammer to the forefront of Hotaru's mind, reminding her of the vast importance it held to her brother in the past. Pushing back, the girl gave a quick nod, agreeing to the quick test, "Alright… but if you can't…" She left the rest unsaid, giving her reincarnated sibling the go ahead.

Akane just nodded in silence, already concentrating on the named weapon and the long unused magical techniques required for summoning it. If anything, dredging up the knowledge was the easy part out of the entire process; her hands already hanging before her to start the casting. It was only when she tried to draw on the actual magic to complete the summoning that her current state of practice truly showed. Then, something snapped…

Hotaru watched with urgent anticipation, both waiting for the result and also dealing with the increasing worry for her friends. She didn't wait long, her elder sibling's movements halting as a furrow of concentration crossed Akane's brow while her lips opened to whisper something lost in the sounds of the city save for three recognizable words, "Mjollnir, to me!"

A flash of light and jerking wave of power jarred both girls a moment later; leaving a motionless martial artist and a relic war hammer hanging in the air as if time stood still. Watching in awe, Hotaru observed the weapon as memories once more ran though her mind in remembrance. So lost in these dreams, the girl was unable to react when time seemed to resume violently; Akane and the relic falling to the ground in a noisy cacophony.

Rushing over to the downed girl, Hotaru grabbed hold of her elder sibling's shoulder to shake it while crying out, "Akane! Are you okay!"

oOo

"Great", Ranma growled out as she continued to try and extract herself from the pile of soft drinks she found herself in, "Just great…" The sounds of cans rattled around the alley as she pushed up into a sitting position. Just a second later, Ranma cried out in surprise, shielding her face with a hand against the jets of cola spraying up from yet another exploding can.

"That's it", the redhead screamed out, kicking out with her legs to clear the cans from her, only to cause more to start spewing their beverages into the air, "His ass is mine!" Growling and seething in heated fury, Ranma kicked out one last time before flipping up to her feet; heedless of the scattering, spraying cans around her.

Taking a quick look around, Ranma found herself in an alleyway between two buildings. Sensing movement, the redhead turned to the side to find a man pushing himself up against one of the walls of the alley, staring at her while now trying to remain rigidly still. The martial artist winced slightly at seeing the terror in his eyes and how he stiffened even more when their eyes met; only to wince again once she realized the truck he had been trying to slide behind happened to be an opened delivery truck with drink logos stamped on the side.

Swallowing her rage, Ranma bowed her head quickly, muttering a quick, "Sorry about that…"

The man's jaw opened and closed a bit before he finally waved a hand warily, "N-no p-p-problem…"

Wincing once more at the reaction she received, Ranma turned towards the entrance of the alley to find a small crowd of pedestrians watching. Some were frowning at her, some whispering and pointing subtly while a few were openly gawking at the young woman.

'Not getting out through there', Ranma thought before turning her eyes upward. Spotting an outside stairwell attached to one of the buildings, she nodded in acceptance of the plan. Muttering another quick apology, she coiled her legs before springing a good ten meters into the air only to boost her body up even farther with another amazing leap from one of the railings attached to the stairwell only to bounce off the side of the opposite building. This went on, with the crowd watching in rapture until the martial artist cleared the edge of one of the structures and disappeared from sight.

Once she felt the gravely rooftop beneath her feet, Ranma ran a hand through her damp and sticky bangs. "Damn… why'd it have to be cola…", she complained as she shook her hand out into the air. Shaking her head quickly to dismiss the issue, she focused her eyes off into the near distance from where dust clouds and small flashes of light could be seen over the blocking buildings. "Whatever", the redhead growled out, pounding a fist into the palm of her hand, "I'll just take it out on his hide!"

Hardening her eyes, Ranma quickly nodded before quickly running up to the edge of the roof and making a soaring leap across the gapping street below. Crossing the divide, she touched down on the target apartment complex only to continue to sprint forward, flicking steel blue eyes towards the bent antenna as she rushed by. Giving a quick derisive snort towards the less than useful object, she made a quick hop to the next roof over before coming to a halt near the coming edge. Kneeling down at the slightly raised ledge that ran along the roof, Ranma narrowed her eyes as she viewed the scene below.

oOo

"Hiaa", Venus screamed out, swinging the golden chain attached to her arm through the air. Dirt and dust kicked up where it slammed into the ground, the target having vacated the area an instant before.

Bright flashes flared to her left, leaving the air with the strong stench of ionization as Jupiter added her own shots into fray. Not a second later, a beam of light beamed nearby before arching back towards its origin. Using the covering attacks of her teammates, Venus wrenched in her chain while sprinting to the side, scanning the battlefield which used to be her school's sports yard.

Long brunette hair waved behind Jupiter as she continued circling around; throwing her arms out with bursts of arcing electricity all the while. Moon continued concentrating on flinging her quickest attack out, managing less to hit the constantly evading man and more just keeping him constantly moving. Twitching her head to the side, the Venus spied their last available teammate on hand; the silent blue colored girl kneeling near a trashcan, a transparent blue visor covering the top half of her face while fingers danced over a microcomputer in her hands.

Spotting Athorm's grey clad form flipping away from yet another burst of electricity, the Venusian reincarnation threw her arm forward once more; chain darting towards her mobile opponent like a snake slithering through the air. Venus smirked as her timing couldn't have been more perfect, as Athorm's hands touched down into a handstand from his flip just as the long length of golden hearts coiled around the gunmetal vambrace on his left arm.

Before she could set her stance for the follow-up, the silver haired male thrust off from the ground to hang meters into the air; giving him the freedom he needed to counter the expected yank Venus was about to send down the connecting line of golden magic. Right as the blonde started to shift her weight back; Athorm reached forward with his free hand to grasp the shackling chain between the two, carefully hiding the smirk growing on his lips.

Venus's own smirk of success quickly shot away into surprise as she jerked hard; Athorm yanking with his right at the very same time while in midair. Everything went according to her plan; all but the speed the enemy shot towards her, the combined forces flinging the man way too fast for her to capitalize on the effort. As Athorm's massive form closed in, his body coiling for something, the Venusian Senshi chose the safer option; bailing out to the side in a desperate lunge.

Jupiter watched from the other side of the field as her friend dove out of the way, leaving the grey clothed enemy to fly over the position Venus had just held a moment before. Still amazed at the situation at hand, Jupiter failed to realize just what Athorm had planned before it was too late. Even as her eyes widened in realization, the airborne male seemed to slice through the chain connecting him to Venus with a swift knife-hand; the now disconnected coils around his left arm dissipating into golden flecks of mana.

From here position, the Jovian had a clear spine chilling view as Athorm finally touched ground only to kick off violently, rocketing straight towards their only non-mobile asset. Mind screaming commands as feverously as it could, Jupiter opened her mouth and inhaled, somehow knowing that it would already be too little and too late but hoping otherwise.

Moon never even got that far, having only just retrieved her tiara out of the air from its last use. She saw Venus' dive and Athorm's escape but never recognized the change in the man's tactics until Jupiter's voice rang across the yard.

"MERCURY!"

oOo

"N-Not so loud…"

Blinking in confusion, Hotaru watched as Akane's eyes fluttered open only to close tight once more with a groan. "Are you okay", the younger girl asked in a much more subdued voice, hand still resting on the fallen female.

"Yeah, I'm… I'm fine", Akane replied, pushing her body up to sit with her back against one of the walls of the alleyway, "Just feels like my head's going to explode…"

"It looks like it already did", the younger girl commented with a blink. Noticing Akane's confused look, Hotaru shook her head and pointed a herself with a finger, "You nose is bleeding…" Face showing even more concern, she asked again, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Pulling back fingers from her upper lip to see the wet red on the tips, Akane quirked a brow, "I think so…" Frowning, brown eyes continued to stare at the blood until suddenly her demeanor shifted. "Gah, I'm an idiot", she groaned out, placing a hand to her forehead.

This reaction had Hotaru scrunching her face in confusion, tying to decipher her elder reincarnated sibling's behavior, condition and sanity, "What are you talking about?"

"I don't… It just hit me", Akane tried to explain, stumbling over her own tongue as her mind tried to go in two directions at once, "My… Kanma's… the memories; it was over-casting…"

"What? You're not making any sense, Akane", Hotaru complained, looking into the elder girl's brown eyes to see if they looked 'right'. Knowing that the downed female had complained about a headache just a little while before, Hotaru made a quick guess that it might be what was causing Akane's confusing speech and acted on it. It only took a moment of concentration, placing a hand on the mumbling female's forehead and ebbing out some power, for Hotaru to see a very visible change in Akane.

Feeling a cool warmth soothing washing over her, soothing her stressed mind, Akane let out a contented sigh before the warmed slowly faded as Hotaru lifted her hand away. While her brain was still trying to process two different viewpoints at once, Akane's mind was able to see them more clearly with the haze of pain lifted; leading her to say, "What was… the healing, never mind." The recovering young woman flashed a smile towards her younger companion, "Thanks, my head feels a lot better now, Hotaru-chan."

The sense of accomplishment and praise had the young girl smiling as well before she returned back to the confused expression to ask, "What were you trying to say before I healed you? Something about overcastting and memories… it didn't make much sense."

At this, the sitting martial artist's smile faded towards a look of minor exasperation, "Don't I know it. I've got some of Kanma's memories thanks to Rei… but it's like…" Frowning, Akane tried to come up with a workable analogy to explain her predicament, "It's like playing shogi but the names are only on a few of the tiles… and they only appear during play…" Sighing, she shook her head in further exasperation, "Nnn… that doesn't sound right…"

"No… I understand, I think…", Hotaru responded, brow furrowed and head cocked slightly, "Can you explain what happened or…"

"Just give me a second…", Akane requested, shaking her head to clear it once more before looking towards the kneeling girl, "Okay… all I know is that I had to 'overcast' to summon Mjollnir and that's why I… feinted."

"That's it", the kneeling girl asked, clearly expecting more than that for an explanation.

Akane just shrugged slightly, "Other than the fact that I… er, Kanma had it happen in the past when he was beginning his magic training… yeah, that's about it." There was a momentary pause before she reluctantly added, "I'll probably 'remember' more later, but… considering just summoning Mjollnir caused this… I should probably sit this one out."

Hotaru just blinked at that, confusion flashing across her face, "What?"

Indicating the communicator still held in Hotaru's left hand, Akane said, "You know… not go with you to help out… If I need magic, I won't be much help if I can't do anything without feinting…" Quirking an edge of her lips down as she reached out to the fallen hammer, she added, "I'll be ready next time though."

Pulling the communicator before her, Hotaru was reminded of the full situation at hand; her visage firming right before casting a worried look to the sitting woman, "I… I need to go… they need me. Are you going to be okay?"

Akane just smiled slightly, a hand waving away the worry, "I'm fine, if only for the bruising of my ego." Her lips drew into a serious line a moment later though as she pulled herself up to her feet, "You be careful out there, alright."

Putting the small compact looking devise away, Hotaru pulled out a small rod with an ornament, "Right." Seconds later the smaller girl thrust her hand into the air and, in a flash of violet light during which silence seemed to roll over the alley, Sailor Saturn replaced the girl standing there moments ago.

The dark haired martial artist just watched in mild awe, both having seen the transformation dozens of times in the past but now seeing it for the first time now. Mentally shaking herself out of it, Akane flashed a grin towards the Senshi who was nervously looking towards her, as if looking for approval. "Alright! Give that monster a good kick for me, okay? I'll see you when you're done."

"Right", Saturn smiled back with a nod, quickly setting up for her departure. "See you later", she offered as parting words, leaping from coiled legs to bounce off the walls of the alleyway; disappearing over the roof edge after a few bounds.

Akane's grin drooped towards discontent when she lost sight of the girl, lowering her eyes from the sky to the large war hammer held near weightlessly in her hands. 'I might not be able to help this time' she thought with vitriol, 'but I'll sure as hell be ready next time!'

With that unsaid promise, the martial artist noticed her still reddened fingers gripping the weapon focus. Realizing how she must look, alone and bloody while wielding a hammer that was almost as tall as she was, Akane cursed, "Damn…"

oOo

"…that's got to hurt", Ranma muttered to herself with a wince, looking down from her rooftop perch.

Just moments before, she watched Venus' attempt with her chain go wrong and Athorm's rush to capitalize on the gained swing in the fight. Ranma heard Jupiter's yell, but watched as the silvery haired man's energy charged fist slammed right into Mercury's face; culminating in a spectacular explosion. Sympathy flowed from the redhead as she watched Mercury bounce along the ground like a ragdoll, sliding to a stop a few meters from the exterior wall of the school.

Still watching the action below, Ranma prepped herself to jump down into the fray as she saw Athorm continuing forward after the immobile Senshi. Just before she leapt down and before the powerful male could get more than halfway, massive jets of fire rained down from above as Mars joined the fray, enveloping Athorm and the ground beneath him.

'Damn, I can feel it from here', Ranma swore silently, tracking the area of scorched earth with attentive blue eyes. Within the raging flames, she could see the shadow of the man within; then suddenly it was gone.

"What the…", Ranma exclaimed in confusion, jerking her vision around the area in search of her opponent. She found him a second later, halfway across the open field patting down smoldering spots on his armor. Blinking in surprise, Ranma replayed what she saw in her mind, from the immolation to finding him standing that far away. Instinctively, the redhead compared it to her own hand to hand experience with him.

Then, it clicked and a grin flashed across her lips, "That's how he did it!"

Standing tall with her hands on her hips, Ranma nodded triumphantly, 'Alright! Now all I've got to do is transform, then its beatdown time!' Nodding, she reached out with her right arm, transformation focus in hand, and said…

"The hell am I doing!"

Looking down at the pen like object crowned with the symbol for Terra in her hands, Ranma blinked in confusion. 'Transform! What am I thinking', she asked herself, still looking at the artifact she held.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, a countering voice spoke up, 'Why not? It's just a way to kick his ass!'

A quick look down at the maneuvering colors of the girls' uniforms below gave Ranma her quick reply, 'I don't want them to think I'm joining them or anything.'

The retorting voice came back just as quickly with just two names, 'Ryoga and Mousse.' Memories rolled in his mind; both martial artists teaming up with Ranma to perform a specific task, beating Herb or Saffron, only to continue trying to 'kill' him soon after they beat the current opponent.

Seeing the point but not wanting to concede, Ranma threw her last complaint out, knowing it was also her weakest, 'But it's girly…'

'And when's that gotten in the way of winning before?'

That final counter had Ranma silent for a few seconds before looking down at the Senshi below who were still engaged with the male antagonist; all save two. Moon was off on the far side of the field kneeling over Mercury who lay still on the ground; even as Jupiter, Mars and Venus continued to coordinate their attacks with moderate effectiveness. Still considering whether or not to follow through, Ranma stood there silent and still as the battle waged on below; Athorm trying to work his way closer to the injured Senshi while the others battled him away.

The seconds ticked by as flashes of magic flared up from below. The stalemate the three active Senshi desperately kept up held… all the way until the grey clad male's form flickered from view once more to appear right behind Jupiter. Whether by sheer skill, instinct or luck, the ponytailed Senshi made a mad, desperate block but was still sent flying through the air from the power of Athorm's explosive kick.

"Damn it", Ranma cursed loudly as she threw her hand skyward, words of power rolling out into the air...

oOo

"Shit", Jupiter cursed, rapidity twisting her arms up to block even as she jerked around a one-eighty. An instant later, fire flashed through her arms, the force of the explosion blowing the Jovian into the air with a pained cry. Ripping her eyes open through the pain, Jupiter maneuvered her body to roll back with the landing, trying to keep her arms from taking too much of the impact.

Jupiter only had a split second glance towards her opponent, but the brunette could tell that Athorm was on the move, trying to keep up the pressure by incapacitating her… or worse. Gouts of flame flared into existence soon after, with the sounds of chains slapping against hard packed dirt joining in; both indications that her friends were trying to cover for her. Mercifully, Jupiter's hang time came to an end with her back finally touching ground, allowing her to roll backwards over a shoulder to regain her footing. Sight of the fight returned to the emerald eyed warrior; her still stinging arms snapping up before her even as her vision locked onto the closing Athorm.

Wind rushing through spiky silver hair, blood pounding through his veins, the raw emotions on the target's face; all part of the rush Athorm got from the thrum of battle. Gleaming white showed through curled lips as he grinned in anticipation, his arms already starting to channel their energy as he jogged and jerked passed the flames and chains to the recovering Senshi of Jupiter. 'Soon, one more down and three left to go', ran through his head as he started planning his next moves out in advance.

Nowhere in Athorm's strategy did it plan for an orb of golden energy to slam into his side, the following explosion blowing the wind out of him while sending his body across the ground in an uncontrolled roll.

Blinking the flash from her vision, Jupiter's eyes widened as she jerked her head around to see Terra falling from the sky only to burst off running as soon as she touched down on the damaged school grounds. Nearby, Venus and Mars seemed to be in the same trance like state, turning their own gazes towards the surprise reinforcement.

Seeing the stares from the three color clad girls, Terra snapped, "Quit gawkin' and get him!" She followed actions to her words, throwing forward a hand to let lose another golden bolt of energy towards the grey clad male. Before it could reach its target though, Athorm had hauled himself back on his feet only to wrench his body out of the orb's path; ignoring the small explosion it caused behind him to instead snarl towards the new arrival.

"By the void", Athorm cursed loudly, avoiding a burst of lightning shot in his direction, "I had forgotten just how many of you blasted Senshi there were."

"Enough to take you down", Venus cried out, forcing the man to barely dodge a thin lance of bright light shot from her free hand.

Firing off her own fiery attack, Mars chimed in, "That's right, jerk! You're going to pay for what you did to Mercury!"

As if it was some sort of rallying cry, the three of the four who had fought multiple campaigns against dark foes amped up their attacks towards Athorm; Terra joining in just because it made tactical sense. Athorm found himself even harder pressed than before in the fight; his full dodges were now deteriorating into near misses and glancing blows which were slowly adding up.

The four continued their attacks, yelling battle cries into the air with each fling of energy until it all screeched to a slamming halt.

All four felt their nerves spike, their senses on full alert; eight eyes searching frantically for their target. One moment, he was before them about to be engulfed in a double strike of lighting and golden energy; the next, he vanished into the ether.

A few seconds ticked by in chilling silence; then as if of one mind, Jupiter and Terra dove into Mars and Venus, driving the pair away from each other. Not a moment later, the expanded area between the split up Senshi exploded in a grand inferno; the shockwave blasting scalding heat out across the nearby school grounds.

Throwing herself off the golden clad girl she had just saved, Terra rolled along the ground before jerking her head skyward. Slashing her vision across the skyline, the redhead suddenly locked onto Athorm's form. Terra's eyes widened, her feet already moving even as she warned, "The roof! Look out!"

The other three Senshi quickly scrambled from their respective spots, though not completely successful; another explosion's shockwave catching Mars in her escape, flinging her body to tumble across the ground. Feeling the blistering heat flash across her back, the raven haired girl forced herself back up off the ground, the effort causing her to wince with pain.

Nearby, Venus jerked her hand upward, pointing her fingers out like a toy gun while squinting down the 'sights' of her thumb. Orange energy charged in her index finger just as she cried out sharply, "Crescent Beam!" As with a little bit earlier in the fight, a lance of blinding orange light shot from her hand; the strength between the two held nothing in common though, this one being much more powerful than the one's before.

Athorm, hands holding another swirling orb of red and blue energy, barely noticed the difference; opting to abandon the attack and ground in favor of evading the incoming shaft of light. His form seemed to shift into an afterimage just as the lance vaporized the edge of the roof… and tore straight through the gut of the swiftly fading image.

"Shit", Terra cursed, jerking her view around to scan the rooftop once more even as the other three scanned lower. Pissed that he had even gained the high ground in the first place, the redhead coiled her legs, "I'm going up!" Before any of the others could say anything, Terra shot into the air towards the rooftops.

Grey blue eyes continued to scan the high ground, even more area opening to her sight as she rocketed upwards upwards. Her velocity took her to and past the edge of the roof, shooting her dozens of meters higher than the five story building; a calculated risk but necessary, Terra trusting her years of training to keep her safe in the air.

It was due to the aerial view that she noticed the flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye; jerking her body around even she instinctively readied herself to land on the closing rooftop below. Just as she twisted around in the air, her eyes flashed wide in realization of what was happening…

Athorm stood atop his new vantage point, sneering down at his targets as a great swirling mass of blue and red hovered in his hands held high above him. Glaring down at the targets below, Athorm growled out words in a rich baritone, his words echoing out as he threw the attack towards the two unaware Senshi below…

"Blaze Ether Shock!"

oOo

Rooftops flashed by as Saturn sprinted across the Juuban skyline. The gaps between buildings, even the streets slicing out the blocks, were nothing more than short hops to the transformed girl as she sped forward; the school her sisters-in-arms attended in sight. Seeing the haze of dust surrounding the school buildings Saturn tried to push even faster, worry for her friends foremost in her mind.

Just as her foot touched down on the last building between her and the schoolyard an explosion rocketed through the air, gaining the violet clad Senshi's full attention. Jerking her gaze to one end of the yard below, Saturn saw Mars tumble across the ground away from a great cloud of dust. Seeing the red clad girl swiftly regain her footing, Saturn took a second to scan the full length of the schoolyard; spotting Moon crouched over a prone Mercury.

A moment of indecision washed over the young teen before she saw a flash of orange light shoot into the sky. Hearing Venus' accompanying battlecry calling out Saturn's decision was quickly made, 'The others are okay for now; I need to help Mercury!' Using a streetlight near the school as a stepping stone, the girl flew across the street into the battle zone. Saturn hit the ground running, the need to reach the downed female pushing her on as fast as she could move. She made it no more than two steps before feeling a massive power buildup soon followed by a strong male voice rolling out into the air.

Jerking her head up even as she continued towards Mercury and Moon, Saturn couldn't keep her eyes from flashing wide in surprise as she saw the swirling blue and red orb falling towards the earth below.

Time seemed to dilate for the girl as her view pulled back, showing both the ball of destructive energy and the two Senshi right in its path. Furrowing her brow, Saturn's grip on the Silence Glaive tightened as she focused her will. Spinning it in a swift flourish, the young Senshi slammed the butt of the shaft to the ground, jerking to a halt even as she forced energy through the weapon focus.

"Silent Wall!"

Screaming those words into the air, Saturn felt the mana flow through her weapon and continue out towards Moon and Mercury. Invisible shapes flickered into existence directly in the path of destruction; Saturn able to see them because they were her will manifest. The formation had barely cohered before the orb of energy smashed into it even as Saturn flooded more mana into the structure. All hell broke loose an instant later as flames exploded out blocking the view of Moon and Mercury, a cloud of dust kicked up by the concussive blast hung in the air like a dirty fog even as the flames dissipated.

The dust quickly cleared enough to show scorched earth all around the area, only a small patch of untouched ground was surrounding two Senshi inside. Letting out a breath of relief she didn't know she was holding Saturn shifted her gaze upward to lock her fierce violet eyes on a figure dressed in grey, who was just as intently staring straight back.

Hefting the glaive into a defensive stance, Saturn aimed the long elaborate blade directly at the one who dared attack her friends…

Before Saturn could go any further, a blue and red blur plowed into the man, knocking both out of view even as the sounds of running feet grew closer. Her focus snapped back as three forms rushed past, each Senshi leaping towards the rooftop, Mars yelling, "Moon, come on! Leave Mercury to Saturn!"

It was only when Saturn's knees hit the ground next to the unconscious Mercury that Moon looked up, determination filling her blue eyes. Placing her hands on the blue clad Senshi's forehead and cheek, Saturn felt the draw of power as she turned her healing abilities towards her injured comrade in arms.

"How is she", Moon pointedly asked, her tone strong but urgent.

Relying on the rudimentary feedback her healing ability had, Saturn quickly replied, "She's just knocked out. Give me a few minutes…"

Moon took a second to process Saturn's statement before nodding and standing up. "Just make sure she's okay", she directed before following the rest of her team by leaping to the top of the building and out of sight.

Silence soon filled the area, an eerie absence of life filling the void of battle. Thankfully, it was broken a few moments later by a groan coming up from a slowly awakening Mercury. Seeing the blue clad Senshi's eyes flicker open and close a few times, Saturn questioned, "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got in between Usagi and a sundae", Mercury ground out while wincing at the light from the sun above. Noticing the broken shards of which used to be her visor she asked, "What happened?"

"I don't know", Saturn replied, still holding her healing hands on the injured girl's forehead. Looking into Mercury's eyes, she frowned, "I think you have a concussion though…"

Mercury closed her eyes once more as she let out another groan at hearing that, "Wonderful…"

oOo

Terra couldn't help but grin victoriously at the face Athorm made as his body folded around her leg; her swift switch roundhouse kick viciously smashing into his unprotected abdomen. With the adrenaline flowing through her veins, the sight was almost done in slow motion for her, allowing Terra to savor every contortion of pain and surprise which washed across his face. Soon enough though, time snapped back to normal, Athorm's body flying across the roof as an inevitable conclusion to the short encounter of his body and her leg.

Watching her opponent bounce along into an unguided roll, the magical girl couldn't help but fire off, "How'd you like that, asshole?"

Finally rolling to a stop, the silver haired man held still for a second before pushing himself with his hands with a groan of obvious discomfort. Finding his feet, Athorm looked towards the ready redhead and wryly replied, "Not as much as you did, obviously…"

"Damn right", she exclaimed with a slight movement forward, "and there's more where that came from!"

Shifting his gaze from her own eyes to someplace behind her, Terra realized what he was looking at when she heard heels clipping on the concrete roof to her rear. "While that might be", the grey clad man started to reply, moving into a guarded stance, "I fear the time has come to say farewell…"

"Damn straight", Jupiter called out, moving in line with Terra with the others quickly following suit, "'cause you're going down!"

"While I might be defeated right now, today won't see my end", Athorm stated with the weight of complete confidence behind his words, though he did nod slightly towards the sailor suited fighters, "but I do concede that didn't think I'd need to do this!" Firing off the last word, he extended his left arm and snapped his fingers in a loud crack.

All four Senshi tensed for the expected attack to fly out, hoping to be able to leap out of its path in time. When no ray, ball or flare of energy came forth, all four females suffered a moment of confusion. Confusion quickly washed away when Athorm smirked in amusement, "Till next time…"

Terra's eyes flashed wide as the man vanished before her, similarly but unlike the trick she'd seen him use just moments before during the fight. One second he was there and the next he wasn't, without the distortion effects of the earlier technique. "Damn it", she cried out, jerking her head around to scan the skyline.

"What just happened", Mars questioned as she and the others did the same.

"He tricked us; that's what", Terra replied through gritted teeth.

Hearing a pair of boots land down onto the roof nearby, all four Senshi jerked about to orient on it. Each falling into a combat stance on instinct, they were all gifted with the vision of Moon's surprised look before she tripped and fell forward onto the hard concrete. As Venus, Mars and Jupiter grimaced or sighed at their leader's mistake, Terra turned back to searching the surrounding buildings.

"Itetete…", Moon groaned out a she regained her feet while rubbing the bridge of her nose. Noticing the empty building, she asked out, "What happened? Where did he go?"

"I don't know", Venus replied, eyeing Terra out of the corner of her vision. "He just disappeared…"

"Damn it", Terra cursed once more, clenching a fist for emphasis; "I still owed him a good ass kicking!"

That drew agreeing nods from Jupiter and Mars while the two blonds chose to give slightly nervous chuckles. Moon blinked after a second, looking straight at the blue and gold clad Senshi to ask, "Um… Not that I'm complaining… but why are you here? I thought you didn't want anything to do with us."

This question seemed to ring true with the other three girls, who looked towards the redhead with mutters of questioning agreement. Not expecting the question, having just ran on autopilot for the fight, Terra cringed back slightly as she desperately tried to work up a believable cover story, "Ah… um… well, I saw Ranma…" Kicking herself mentally, she continued with the ad hoc story, "He could barely stand after the crash, so he told me about… a strong guy he was fighting."

"So… you came to avenge Ranma", Mars asked, confused as too many things about why Terra was here, but trying to fill in the gaps.

Nodding quickly, Terra ran with it, "Exactly! Plus, a strong guy like that is good training!"

"Was Ranma okay", Venus asked, glancing in the direction which he was sent flying… and Terra came from, though Venus didn't know that.

"Ah…", the redhead stalled, trying to think of a plausible excuse as to why 'Ranma' didn't come right back while keeping it from sounding like she was weak. "He… he crashed into a rack of spices… which… got into his eyes, blinding him! Yeah, he couldn't see after that." Giving a dismissing hand wave at the gaping looks she received from the other Senshi, she finished by stating, "Don't worry, he'll be fine once he washes it all out. This isn't the first time it's happened."

Looking like she might grow one of those sweat-drops that manga characters get, Venus haltingly replied, "If… if you say so…" Terra blinked as she saw the others looking similar.

Before things could get much farther, the sounds of more booted feet touching down on the roof sounded into the air in two groups a few seconds apart. To one side, Saturn was looking towards slightly wobbly Mercury while on the other, three more set down. "What's going on? Where's the monster", Uranus asked out while glancing about, the teal haired Senshi standing close by doing the same.

"I'm not picking up his signature", Mercury responded warily, thankful he wasn't at the moment.

"Great… I was looking forward to a good fight, too", the shorthaired blonde pouted, crossing her arms under her chest-bow.

"Whatever…", Terra dismissed, taking a step few steps toward the only male of the group who stood silently a few meters away. Terra had been looking towards her once sibling since he landed on the rooftop, but finally acknowledged him, "Took you long enough to get here, Endy. Come on, we need to talk." The armor clad male blinked at the abruptness even as Terra walked past him and stepped to the roof's edge.

"Wait", Moon called out, "We want to talk to you as well!"

Terra stood silently for a moment, looking out across the city, before turning her head to lock eyes with Endymion. Another moment passed before the tall male spoke out, "Moon, we need to talk… alone… Please, just give us some time to sort things out."

Biting her lip a bit, Moon looked between her literal betrothed and his reincarnated sister… Letting out a slight sigh, she nodded before looking towards Terra, "Alright… We'll leave you alone. Just… Thanks for helping."

"Yeah, yeah", Terra waved it off, "I had my reasons. It doesn't mean I'm joining you guys or anything, though." Having said that, the redhead jerked her head towards a rooftop in the distance; motioning Endymion to move before leaping in the indicated route.

"I'll see you soon", the armored prince stated before pushing off the rooftop himself.

Silence held the rooftop for a moment before Uranus spoke up once more, "So… what exactly happened here? What happened to the monster? Did you kill it?"

Moon scratched the side of her head while Jupiter and Mars looked annoyed. Venus wound up speaking up first, "Well, you see… what happened was…"

oOo

It didn't take long before Terra finally halted atop a rather large apartment building only a few blocks away from the school she just left. Turning about, she watched the armored male finish his own leap from the prior rooftop, his boots clapping on the smooth cement surface beneath their feet.

After a few moments of silence between the two, the light breeze blowing his cape and her hair about a bit, Endymion let out a cough into his fist.

"I'm not who you think I am", Terra flatly stated, averting her eyes while tucking her bright red hair behind an ear.

Seeing the behavioral tick his sister held in the previous life playing out across the redhead before him, Endymion quirked his brow slightly, "We already told you; you're Terra… What you're wearing sort of proves the point."

Giving the Terran prince an irritated look, Terra shot back, "I know that! Akana already gave me an earful about it..."

"Akana already gave you an earful", Endymion repeated in confusion, "But you 'are' Akana… How..."

"It's complicated", Terra cut in, waving her hand as if cutting through the words, "but it's sort'a part of…" Shaking her head, she growled a bit, "We'll get to that later. Let me get out of this cheerleading getup first!" Closing her eyes, she willed the Senshi transformation away; a quick flash of light covering the transformation back to her civilian form. Opening her eyes once more, she was privy to Endymion's flushed face and averted gaze. "What's up?"

Coughing in embarrassment, he motioned towards her with a hand while pointedly keeping his gaze averted, "Um… y-your top…"

Looking down, the redhead found her gi top loosely open, showing a vast amount of cleavage while still keeping her assets mostly covered. "Whatever", Ranma grumbled while trying the top tighter, though still loose on her smaller female frame. "There, it's safe now", she mockingly told the other occupant of the roof with a smirk.

"I'm surprised you're so… carefree about it", Endymion dryly commented while he de-transformed as well.

"You get used to it after a while", she replied with a shrug before shaking her head once more, "We're getting off track here…"

"How is that", Mamoru asked, "You're Akana and Terra… you admit it, so how are you not who I think you are…"

"That's not the problem... at least not what I'm talking about right now. I'm talking about this", Ranma stated with a wave of her hand over her body.

Looking over the redhead in the karate-gi, Mamoru quirked his brow in confusion, "I'm not following…"

"I'm not Tendo Ranko, she doesn't exist! I made her up to trick my mom a couple years ago because…", Ranma started to explain before stalling out, "Never mind why; she's fake, made up, nonexistent!"

Looking into her steely blue eyes, Mamoru tried to figure out exactly what his reincarnated sister was pulling… and failed miserably, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Sighing in exasperation, Ranma tried to focus her thoughts on what she wanted to say next, causing a break for the breeze to whip through the air. "Look, it's a long complicated story, alright", she started up, trying to explain the cut down explanation to follow, "but I'm not Ranko, okay. There never was a Tendo Ranko." Seeing him nod, if not in understanding then in point acceptance if only to hear the rest, Ranma took a breath, "The truth is… I'm Saotome Ranma."

A moment passed as she let Mamoru have a chance to absorb her words, though the expected rebuttal turned out to be a very confused, "Huh?"

"Yeah, I usually get that", Ranma nodded in agreement, "but it's true."

"But that doesn't make any sense!"

Throwing her hands up, she cried out, "And reincarnated sisters from long dead empires do?"

"Yes, they do", Mamoru loudly responded before thinking about the words actually being said, "Well, at least in this situation it does…" Looking towards the redhead who just crossed her arms under her chest, he ran a hand through his hair. "Fine… so, how exactly do… How is it you're Ranma, 'cause I'm pretty sure I'd have noticed 'those' on him…", he stated with a gesture towards her upper torso.

"Yeah, I found them pretty hard to ignore when I first got them, too. You get used to them", Ranma replied with a shrug. Getting back on track, she brought up, "Okay, how about this. This morning you ran into Ranma… literally."

"Yeah", Mamoru hesitantly agreed, wondering where she was going with this and how she knew, "What about it?"

"You asked him… 'Me' about Jusenkyo", she continued, ignoring his own responding question. "Well, instead of meeting up on that rooftop, we'll talk about it here." Seeing Mamoru blink a few times, Ranma kept going, "See, Jusenkyo is a cursed training ground… or at least that's what it is now. Long story short, whoever or whatever falls into one of the pools there turns into whatever drowned in that pool last. Hot water cures the curse while cold water turns the curse back on."

"So… You're saying that…", Mamoru started up, trying to wrap his mind around the prospect.

"That I fell into the 'spring of drowned girl'", Ranma finished up for him, though she shook her head soon after. "It's a little more complicated than that though…"

"I'd say it was already complicated", Mamoru groused with a snort, "What you're saying is pretty hard to believe already." Seeing the annoyed look growing on the girl's face, he forestalled her with a raised hand, "Reincarnation is pretty easy to believe since I've experienced it along with the other Senshi… I've yet to come across anything like what you're saying, but I'm not calling you a liar… just that it's hard to believe."

Grimacing a little at the situation, Ranma took a full breath before nodding in favor of a decision, "Fine." Grabbing one of his hands, she tugged him towards the stairway attached to the roof while grumbling to herself, "Should have done this from the start."

"Wait, where are we going", Mamoru confusedly asked to the leading redhead, not really putting up any resistance since they would have gone down to the street eventually anyways.

Not turning her head, Ranma continued to pull him down the stairs while responding, "I'm going to show you the damn curse so you can quit saying 'It's hard to believe'." Snorting, she added, "Really wondering how you can deal with reincarnation, magic and monsters while having trouble believing in a gender curse…"

Not really having a valid response to that, Mamoru kept his mouth shut as they finished making their way down to the street. Once they reached the stairwell entrance, though, he asked, "Where to now?"

Looking up and down the street quickly, Ranma pointed off to the right before pulling him along, "This way."

Looking in that direction, he saw an arcade a couple buildings down, though he wondered exactly why an arcade would 'show' a curse. He did feel a little embarrassed at all the looks he and Ranma got as she pulled him along. 'Probably looks like we're on a date or something', the thought ran through his head, just adding to the mixed feelings flowing through him.

His confusion grew even as the gi clad girl passed by all the games filling the ground floor and headed to the back, coming to a stop and activating the elevator. Looking at her with a raised brow, she just rolled her eyes as the elevator doors finally opened and she pulled him in. It was a quick ride up to the third floor of the establishment, where he finally figured out where she was taking him…

"Uh… Ranko… are you sure about this", he asked nervously even as she pulled him ever closer in a straight line towards her intended destination.

"Just shut up", Ranma ordered back even as she pushed open the door to the small men's restroom. "You! Scram", she ordered once more, only this time it was towards the surprised twenty something male washing his hands. Moving out of the retreating man's way so he could leave, she pulled Mamoru in and made sure to keep hold of his hand. "Okay, again… Hot water removes curse, cold brings it back", she repeated.

Mamoru's eyes shot wide as Ranma put actions to word, twisting the knobs on the sink and running the same hand through the different temperature streams. The hand his held changed with the switching bodies of its owner, even as Mamoru's jaw worked its muscles without a clear word coming out. Finally, he shook his head violently and cried out, "How? That's…"

"Magic", a now very male Saotome Ranma responded dryly, "I know." Slipping his hand out of the still taller male's, he asked, "So, believe me now?"

"Yeah…", Mamoru nodded, still shocked with the situation, "Kind of hard not to…"

"Alright, at least that's done with", Ranma stated with a nod; pushing around Mamoru to leave the restroom.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, Mamoru quickly followed the now black haired male to the elevator before asking in a hushed but agitated tone, "What do you mean 'done with'? I'm more confused now than when we started!"

"I'm talking about the curse and how you wouldn't believe me", Ranma responded while entering the elevator and pressing the ground floor button.

"So you're not leaving it at this", Mamoru questioned with a raised brow.

Giving the taller man a dry look, the martial artist quipped, "Sure, why not. I mean, I've only got like a thousand more… No! I'm not leaving it at this!" Exiting the now opened elevator doors, he took a breath before added, "I just don't know what to ask now…"

Nodding in understanding, Mamoru followed him out of the arcade and back to the street. Once outside, he asked, "So… how long have you had it? You know; the curse…"

"I got it back around when I turned sixteen", the pigtailed fighter answered before chuckling, "Normally, I'd tell you it was my old man's fault for not knowing a lick of Chinese but now… Now, I'm not so sure… probably would have happened no matter what caused it."

"How so?"

"Something Akana said…", he responded with a dismissing gesture.

Looking at the martial artist with confusion, Mamoru spoke out, "You said something about that before… why do you keep talking like Akana's another person…"

Letting out a quick sigh, Ranma just responded with, "It all comes back to Jusenkyo…" Knowing this would take a bit to explain, he jerked his head towards an alley they were passing and moved into it, Mamoru following along. "It's kinda hard to explain, since she… I… we don't know exactly what happened for sure, but we've got a good guess."

Seeing a 'go on' gesture, the martial artist sighed once more while leaning against a wall, "You remember the end of the kingdom?"

"Bits and pieces…"

"Remember me… Akana heading out with that prince from Saturn… Kanma?"

Looking up in thought, Mamoru drew out, "I think so… something about the Phoenix?"

"Yeah, I… Akana was escorting him to see Saffron to check up on something...", Ranma explained, omitting the weapons as a nonissue, "Well… Jusenkyo isn't too far from where the Phoenix hang out and as luck would have it, Kanma n' me… Akana… whatever, both of them were chased there when the nimrod 'generals' decided to defect to Beryl's side and tried to kill us." Shaking his head sadly, Ranma amended his last statement, "Well, not tried, since I know at least I died."

"You're… that can't…", Mamoru tried to defend the royal bodyguards even knowing their actions in this life.

Giving off a nod, the martial artist agreed, "Yeah, that's pretty much the thoughts I had at the time, too. Barely put up any defense even as they tried to slice and blast us both to bits." Growling, Ranma unconsciously placed a hand were the sword pierced his flesh in the prior life, "Drew it out up until Zoisite managed to skewer me with his damn sword. Then… Well, then, Akana fell into the damn spring and died. That's where things get complicated."

"That's a lot to take in", Mamoru stated, running a hand through his hair while letting out a breath.

"You're telling me", Ranma chuckled slightly, "I'm the one living the damn experience." Shaking his head, he continued on the explanation, "Anyways, from what I can figure out, whatever caused the reincarnation didn't work correctly since Jusenkyo was messing around with it. Akana thinks only half our… soul, I guess, got reincarnated and that was me."

"And once you fell into the spring, you gained the other half", Mamoru ventured.

"Pretty much", Ranma agreed, though with a shake of his head, "course, nothing about Akana, Senshi or reincarnation came up until you tricked me into…"

"Sorry about that", Mamoru said out of reflex.

Ranma just waved it off, "Don't worry about it, would have probably happened one way or another anyways."

After a moment of silence between the two, Mamoru started up a question, not sure as to how to say it, "So… Akana's in your head? I mean…"

"No… No, she's not 'stuck' in my head or some separate person", Ranma answered.

Confused once more, the taller male questioned, "But earlier you were talking like she was…"

"It's complicated", Ranma responded, though Mamoru chimed in sync with the second word. "Yeah, yeah", the martial artist said with a dismissing wave, "Well, when you've got sixteen years of life as a guy and then get part of your soul added back into ya due to a crazy cursed pool, it ain't simple." Shrugging, he continued, "So, instead of going crazy, my mind created a… buffer, I guess, and used Akana's personality for it until my brain can take it all in."

"I'm guessing that's a work in progress…"

"You can say that again…", Ranma agreed with a roll of his eyes.

"So… she's not… well, trapped in your head… and you're really Akana… my sister", Mamoru hesitantly asked out.

"And here we come to another fun topic", Ranma quipped under his breath before raising his voice to a normal level, "Look, I've… accepted that I'm going to turn into a girl for the rest of my life… and since I'm Akana reincarnated, it sorta makes me your sister, but I'm not a girl in this life…" Gesturing towards his male body, he stated, "Sixteen years as a guy, can't and won't throw that away; especially since I'm married with a wife."

"That said…", Ranma continued with a grin, "Ever since I was a kid, I've wondered what it would be like to have a brother and I'm thinking it ain't too late now…"

Blinking a moment as he absorbed all that, Mamoru's lips pulled up into his own grin, "Well, I guess I can handle a little brother who happens to be my little sister sometimes…"

Hearing the absurdity in the conversation, even knowing full well the topic made sense, both of the reincarnated siblings shared a good chuckle. When they settled down some, Ranma looked out onto the street and noticed a clock hanging in a window across the way, "Damn… I need to get back to see what's going on at the school…"

"Yeah, I've got to go too…", Mamoru agreed solemnly as he moved towards the alley entrance.

"One last thing", Ranma spoke out, stalling the taller male, "Keep all of this to yourself."

Locking eyes with the martial artist, Mamoru scrunched his brow, "But the girls need to know."

"No, they don't", the shorter teen stated flatly, crossing his arms, "I've already told them that I'm not joining them and they don't need to know all this. If we happen to cross paths… Well, I'm going to do my own thing…"

"If that's what you want, I guess", Mamoru replied, though looking a little forlorn. A slight smirk grew on his face, though, as he gave a quick wave before heading out, "I'll see you around… little brother."

oOo

End of Chapter 11

oOo

A/N

- Noticed a couple comments on how I didn't do a seamless intro for Athorm. This comes from many reasons, the major one being that I couldn't write one that didn't seem cliché or trite after I wrote it. Since I couldn't write an intro I liked, I didn't; which made the start of the conflict that more jarring and let the readers fill in the gaps with their own imagination… at least until I get around to a scene where Ranma explains what happened, though probably won't get into too much detail.

- There were some concerns that I made Ranma too weak at the start of the fight. Well, looking back at all the manga fights for Ranma and you'll notice that he either outclasses his opponent right off the bat or he gets his ass handed to him; at least for the start of the fight or until the rematch. Athorm is no different, as he comes with a few tricks Ranma hasn't encountered before and partly because I needed him blown out of the schoolyard for the beginning of this chapter.

- Some of you have read LoD already and are probably going to comment on Akane being too weak and not rushing towards the fight. To this, I have to say that two years of experience over her manga/anime self plus the added years of Kanma starting to filter in bring a little more… responsibility, I guess, to her. She's still going to try and push herself when she can, but at least she's conscious of her own limitations as well and knows when to hang back.

- Lastly, I'd like to once more thank the guys over at Fukufics dot com for their C&C before I pushed this chapter out. If you haven't gone there yet, it's a good gang of folks there and you get to preread fics as they're being made.


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